


If You Don't Mind

by watertribenation



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Catra is Bad at Feelings (She-Ra), Friends With Benefits, Human Catra (She-Ra), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Latina Catra (She-Ra), Multi, Oblivious Adora (She-Ra), Poor Catra (She-Ra), Protective Siblings, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Tension, Trauma, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watertribenation/pseuds/watertribenation
Summary: Adora, specialized -but clumsy- pediatrist who lives with her roommates Bow and Glimmer, meets a pair of troubled siblings running from their past and helps them overcome it while also falling in love with the over-protective sister, Catra.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 259





	1. Not Her Type

**Author's Note:**

> Just to make it clear before your read: Finn is Catra's adoptive sibling, not her child. Have fun reading it!

Adora woke up with a low growl and carefully turned her alarm off. Another Monday, another week of work ahead of her. Her eyes were stuck on the ceiling, contemplating if she had to stand up from her soft bed and make her way to the hospital. She loved her job, she really did, but sometimes kids were super rude to her while all she was trying to do was help them. Who would've thought that working with children meant having to deal with spoiled brats all the time? Everyone, actually, but she ignored all the warnings and still went with it anyways. But at least she didn't have to deal with a class full of them like Glimmer and Bow, both teachers in middle school. If there's something worse than arrogant kids, that had to be hormonal pre-teens.

"Ugh, get up already! You're gonna be late. Can't let the kids waiting." Glimmer said carefully as she made her way in the room, Bow right behind her.

"Yeah, you want us to drop you off?" He offered gently, but the only response was a faint "No." as Adora sat up, rubbing her eyes. 

"I'm still on time. I can walk and take a coffee on my way there. You two go ahead. Can't let the kids waiting. What would they do without their favorite Science Teacher and his fellow, strict, Art-teacher-companion?"

"Hey, Art requires perfection!" Glimmer said defensively at the sarcastic comment, a pout forming on her face. Adora ignored her and slowly made her way over the bathroom, barely acknowledging her roommates. It was too early to argue, she needed her coffee first.  
  


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"Finn! Hurry up or you're gonna be late for school!" Catra yelled at her younger sibling with a desperate groan. Great, another burnt omelet. It was the third that week, and it was still Monday morning. "Coming!" The kid came out of their room all dressed up, a piercing smile on their face that quickly disappeared as soon as they sniffed the smell in the room

"Ew! Did you burn eggs again? You really need to step-up your game when it comes to cooking, sis." The only thing the brunette did was growl dangerously at them as a warning, but then calmed down and sighed.

"Come on, you can't go to school with an empty stomach and I don't want to burn anything else. Let's get you a decent breakfast, 'kay?" Finn's eyes immediately lit up and they ran up to hug her tightly, but then worry invaded their mind.

"Are you sure we can afford it? I mean, we still have to pay last month's rent a-and—"

"Don't worry, I got it all covered up. I already payed the bills and have a few dollars left to spend." She replied, lying. She still missed at least a hundred dollars to pay for rent and the money she was going to spend on her sibling was part of the clump, but she promised herself that Finn wouldn't starve, not like she once did. So if that meant working an extra shift, then so be it.

"Ugh, you're the best sister in the entire world!" Catra rolled her eyes at them and picked up their backpack.

"Yeah, but we better go now or we'll be too late. Come on now."  
  
  


───────────────────────────

Adora had just received her coffee. At last. A soon as the sweet flavor of caramel and vanilla hit her tongue she released a sigh of happiness and tipped the cashier with a few extra dollars, thanking her for being nice to her. Then, she turned around with a content hum but bumped into a brunette, almost making her fall. If it weren't for the kid next to her, she's sure she would've hit her butt on the ground.

"I am so sorry! I-I didn't mean to, I-!" Adora stopped talking, already too hypnotized by the stranger's mismatched eyes. One bright blue and the other golden. It was almost impossible to choose on which one she got lost in the most, but the freckles on her face were almost as distracting and— Right, she was apologizing.

"It's fine. Just watch where you're going next time." The stranger said with a cold tone. Annoyance was apparent in her face, but at least she tried to hide it.

"Of course! Sorry again. Have a nice day!" Catra watched the blonde walk backwards, doing finger guns at her with a nervous smile. Clumsy and awkward, definitely not her type.  
The pair of siblings sat on the table and Finn eagerly took a menu on his hands.

"She was pretty." They said of the blue, still looking at the pie section. Catra frowned and shook her head.

"Too old for you. Focus on kids your age."

"I know. I didn't mean 'She's cute for me', I meant that she's cute for you. You should've asked for her number." The blush had already crept on her cheeks when Finn looked up at her with a smirk.

"I'm just saying you need a distraction. All you ever think about is work and me. It'd be nice to, y'know, see you relaxed and happy sometimes." The girl scoffed and sighed. Finn worried too much about her. The roles were supposed to be reversed. She had to worry and she had to take care of them. Finn had already suffered too much with their past, Catra wanted to at least try to give them a somewhat happy childhood.

"What are you going to have?" She asked, avoiding the touchy topic. "I'm thinking about a raspberry cheesecake. Do you want a double espresso?" They asked, almost reading her thoughts, but she had to hold back. She was already risking with their breakfast, ordering a coffee would be way too much.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yup." Finn didn't say anything, they didn't have to, Catra already understood. "I'm serious. I already had coffee at home. If I drink some more I think I won't be able to stay still for more than five seconds." Still not a word out, meaning they were still waiting for something.

"Okay, fine. I'll eat some of your cheesecake if that'll make you happy." But when the food arrived, she barely took a bite out of it, lost in thoughts. She had to work extra shifts in both works for the entire week if she wanted to finally repay all of their debts.

"You have to work double again?" Their ability to read her mind were seriously on point. Everyone considered Catra to be mysterious, but Finn always knew everything about her, like an open book.

"I'm sorry... it's just... I wanna save more money in case of emergency."

"I know you're lying... but I get it. Will you come get me after school?"

"Absolutely. I'll be on time."  
  


───────────────────────────

She wasn't on time. She finished the first shift late and had to basically run for over an hour across the city to pick them up.

"Hey, Bow! Ready to go-?" Glimmer stopped herself when she made her way in the classroom and noticed a student was still there, always the same one. She carefully made her way in and approached her roommate.

"Again, seriously?" She asked in disbelief. It wasn't unusual for Finn to get picked up late, but it was still cause of concern. Why was their mother always late?

"I know, but there's not much we can do." The woman spared a look to the student and approached them with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Finn, right?" She questioned gently, receiving a nod in response.

"Do you know where your mom is? Or why she's late? Perhaps Bow and I could give you a ride home." They smiled at the adult, appreciating the worry. "Thanks, but my sister should be here any time. She promised." Speaking of the devil, Catra finally appeared, sweat on her forehead. She really could use some cardio.

"Hey, sorry for being late! I'm here now, let's go." Before Finn could stand up and approach her, Bow made her way over her with a friendly smile.

"Hi, I'm Bow! I'm Finn's Science teacher." Catra eyed him suspiciously, then glared at her sibling. "Don't tell me you got in trouble or—!"

"Oh, no no! It's not that. Finn's an excellent student. We wanted to talk their parents-"

"I'm the caregiver. Parents are not exactly in the picture." Catra specified immediately. Parents, what a childish fantasy.

"Then we can talk to you! Maybe tomorrow's at the principal's office?" She couldn't believe it. Even if she wasn't in school anymore, she still got in trouble, unbelievable.

"This week I'm... busy. Next one, maybe?" She asked pleadingly, no way she was going to skip those extra shifts. "Does next Monday at 5pm sound good to you?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll be there." She said hurriedly before finally getting back home.

"Sorry again for being late, I did my best and-"

"I know, it's cool." What did Catra ever do to deserve someone as amazing as them? A golden child. But then, a cough escaped their mouth, immediately alerting her "It's fine. I just chocked a little I guess. You can go back to work now." Catra was not convinced, but let it slide, it was just a little cough.   
  


The night settled in as the day went on quickly. Catra yawned as she inserted they key to unlock the door to the apartment. Work really tired her up, but at least she could finally relax- never mind. She found Finn as a trembling mess and with a high fever. Time to visit a doctor.  
  


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Adora sighed in relief, ten minutes until her shift was over and no patients around, perfect. Nope, forget all about it. Someone came in her studio, more specifically, the same pair that she bumped into that same morning. She couldn't help herself from blushing as soon as she saw the brunette and her damned eyes. Her long and messy hair perfectly matched her edgy style. The consumed leather jacket and the ripped skinny jeans totally reflected her personality, or so Adora thought. They talked for ten seconds at most, and she had the impression that Catra was a bad girl, always getting into trouble when in reality, she was the complete opposite of that.

"H-Hi! How can I help you?" The pre-teen just groaned and sat on the medical bed, so Adora had to focus her attention back to the other woman to get some sort of hint.

"They keep coughing and have a high fever." She said coldly, but her look full of worry. It seemed like she didn't recognize her from the earlier incident.

"Sure, I can work with that. Have you given them anything?"

"No, we're short on... medicine at home."

"Understood." Adora stood up from her desk and made her way over to Finn, they looked like an absolute wreck.

"You can leave the room, I'll call you back when I'm done." She requested, already focusing on her patient. Sure, the mysterious girl was definitely attractive, but she had a job to do. Catra nodded slowly and walked out, giving one last glance at the child, her heart sinking in her chest.

"N-No, please..." Finn pleaded weakly at Adora, and she frowned. Please don't be a brat she hoped, she had dealt with enough of them already

"Hey, I'm not gonna do anything. Just a normal check-up."

"It's... it's not that. I..." But Adora kept on analyzing them, measuring the temperature and doing usual doctor stuff as the child kept talking.

"My sister... we barely have any money... please." She froze in place. That woman really had to care a lot about them if she took them to one of the best private studios in Bright Moon without having any money. It wasn't hard to see, the two had a strong bond. Adora smiled kindly at them and made them take a medicine.

"Don't worry. I won't charge you." She stated simply. She knew the risks of doing this, but she got into the career to help children, not for the money. "Really?!" She nodded again, making them sit back up. "It's okay. Just don't tell my boss and we'll be just fine."

"I promise, thank you, really..." The weak smile on their face was the exact reason Adora loved her job. She yearned on making people feel better, but she was too awkward when it came to communicating so doing a phycologist was definitely out of the way, this was the best second option.

"Don't worry. Now I'm gonna leave for a few minutes to talk to your sister, 'kay?"

"Her name's Catra... She's single, in case you were wondering." That little rascal. Even if they were sick they still had enough audacity to try to set her up, incredible. Adora didn't say another word, just left the room with a heavy blush. Was her crush that evident? No, it wasn't a crush, she just found Catra attractive, no big deal.

"So?" The brunette asked as soon as she spotted Adora, urgency in her voice "They're doing okay. Just give them some paracetamol and they'll be fine in a couple of days. It's nothing too serious." She assured with a smile, uncertain if she should approach her, but Catra did it instead, wallet already out.

"How much?" Her voice shaky, showing a hint of vulnerability for the first time since they've met.

"Not a cent. Finn told me about your... situation. It's all covered." Instead of getting a thanks, she received a hard glare. What was wrong with this girl? She was helping her.

"No way. Just tell me how much, I can afford it." Adora swore she saw a fly going out of that wallet, she couldn't do that to that family.

"I'm serious, you're good to go." But Catra took out two fifties and handed them to her, predictable. Adora sneakily introduced one of her own fifties to the bunch without Catra noticing and handed the money back. "If you don't mind... I know it might be embarrassing for you, but think about your sibling. You can use that money for something else, for them." The words seemed to finally get into her thick skull, she finally understood and sighed, looking away.

"Thanks..." She muttered slowly.  
  


───────────────────────────

"You did what?!" Glimmer shouted her her friend as soon as she told her everything. "I couldn't just make them go bankrupt! I had to do something!"

"Oh oh oh! So you gave them a free pass and even did charity?! Do you know the trouble you could get in if your superiors found out?"

"Oh, yeah, I know. But I think I'm safe." Bow smiled kindly at Adora and closed the book that was sitting on his lap.

"I think that you did a very noble thing. I'm proud of you..."

"Thank you!"

"But I'd like to know the real reason why you did this. You've never done it, especially for a stranger." Glimmer immediately noticed the blush on Adora's face, she had a crush! Adora, always so career-focused, finally found someone attractive!

"She liked the patient!"

"No, I didn't like my patient. I work with children! I just liked their sister. She was... cute, I guess."

"Oh my gosh you're in love." Adora groaned and threw a pillow at her roommate.

"Glimmer, no! I'm not allowed to do that!"

"Well, you aren't allowed to work for free but here we are..." Bow mumbled in a sing-song tone, mercilessly teasing her already.

"Not you too!"

───────────────────────────

"You did what?!" Catra asked in disbelief when Finn showed her the business card they managed to get from the studio's desk.

"What? I got you her number for you, you should be thanking me." They said smugly, making their sister mad as she snatched it from their hands angrily. They just scoffed at her burst and snuggled under the covers.

"I told you I don't like her, and I also have no time to waste on sappy relationships! Now, sleep. You need to rest.” Truth be told. Catra couldn't stop thinking about her. Her clumsiness and dorky side was totally gone as soon as she started on checking on Finn, applying a focus level that hypnotized her. But she wasn't crushing at all on the tall, blonde doctor with the golden heart, absolutely not. "I have to call your school and explain the situation. I don't want them to get suspicious over me. We can't risk it."

"I'm sorry for putting you in trouble." Finn whispered weakly, but got a smile in return as Catra brushed her fingers across his blonde hair.

"It's not your fault you got sick. Don't apologize. I know how to handle this, 'kay?" Biggest lie of the century, but she had to reassure them somehow.


	2. No Strings Attached

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn makes sure that Catra and Adora stay in contact.

Adora stretched a little bit after checking another child. The day sure had been long and tiring for her. One kid almost puked on her face, thankfully her reflexes were fast enough to grab the trash can and avoid another terrible accident. _Come on, five more minutes until your shift is over_ , she said to herself. There was no one on the studio and this time she knew no one else was coming in like it happened a week ago. Yes, she still remembered the two siblings. Adora quietly wondered how Finn was doing, aside from their initial complaints, they were the perfect patient. No whines, no crying, no hysterical reactions, a literal dream for someone with her job. And then her mind wondered to their sister and the wicked eyes that remained imprinted in her mind permanently. She was sure she was going to remember their exact shade for the rest of her life. How someone so beautiful could cross her path and then leave without leaving any trace was a mystery. And then her thoughts vanished as soon as her eyes landed on the clock, she was finally free.

She quickly changed back into her normal clothes and drove happily at home only to find the apartment empty. Right, Glimmer and Bow mentioned something about being worried for a child whom sister's was always late to pick them up. Glimmer told her she didn't like that girl, said there was something wrong about her, definitely not a good influence on the kid. Well, that was their problem, not hers. Adora smiled and started watching the news on the TV. It was nice having the place to herself for once. Living with her best friend and adoptive sister was awesome most of the time, but everyone needs some to be alone sometimes. Adora enjoyed her hot shower and the quiet of the apartment until the couple made their way in, well, Glimmer kicked the door open, clearly mad.

"Well, hello to you too. Guess it went well?" The blonde said teasingly while taking a sip of her coffee. Bow shook his head and rested his hands on his friend's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Glimmer, I think you're overreacting."

"She called me Glitter and then Sparkles! Not to mention she said I was a prissy!"

"Well, you are." Adora immediately regretted her choice of words as soon as the short woman made her way over her, fist already in the air. "Okay, okay! Sorry!" She said in order to save her own life, Bow sighed in relief. "Geez, you got this mad over a few nicknames? Bow, what happened exactly?" The man took a seat next to her on the couch and shrugged.

"This woman came in a little late and Glimmer wasn't a fan of her tone."

"Please, you could've just said she was rude. All she kept saying was 'Yeah, fine, okay, whatever, are we done?' She really got on my nerves! I don't like her and I have absolutely no idea how Finn is such well-behaved kid. It's clearly not thanks to her." Finn. Where did Adora hear that name? It sounded so familiar. Probably the name of one of her patients, but she didn't pay much attention to it. There very plenty of Finns in the city.

"Well, at least she promised she'd try harder to be on time to pick them up or send a friend over in case she couldn't make it." The man looked visibly frustrated too. This girl was really a pain in the butt apparently.

"How about we go to the mall to chill a little?" Adora offered, already knowing that the three of them hadn't spent a day together in months. Maybe today they'd have a little fun.  
  
  


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"You still haven't told me how'd it go." Finn protested as he handed their sister her acoustic guitar. Catra scoffed as she adjusted the mic stand. After a long morning spent working as a waitress and the boring meeting with Glimmer and Bow, she sure was tired. But she still missed a few more bucks to finally pay rent, and since her night shift as a grocery store stocker at the local supermarket would start in a few hours, she managed to find a quick solution. Whenever she had some free time and was in need of money, she always performed at the mall. It didn't happen quite often, and since her music would draw attention to the stores nearby, nobody got mad at her and rather invited her to play more frequently. And there she was again. Finn insisted on going with her. They were now feeling much better and missed hearing their big sister sing.

"Boring stuff. They just told me to be on time. Also, I think Glitter doesn't like me. She's a real buzzkill." Finn chuckled and shook their head. She knew that her name was Glimmer but still refused to say it right, typical Catra. "She can be... complicated. But she's cool." The brunette rolled her eyes in annoyance. Never in her life had she ever seen such a sassy teacher, it was fun teasing her. "Well, whatever. I'm ten times cooler than Sparkles and now I'll show it to you. Ready for some music?"

In the meanwhile the Best Friend Squad (that's what they called themselves) was finally having fun, eating ice cream and wandering through the stores. Bow had already bought at least three crop tops, claiming he was running short on them. Truth is, he had a closet full of them, just craved some new ones. Their attention shifted to a growing crowd and the muffled sound of music.

"There's an artist performing!" The man said with enthusiasm as he looked at the two girls.

"Let's check them out then." Glimmer replied, dragging them all into the crowd. Adora felt a strange deja vu, like she already heard this voice, but where? She had to know where it came from, so she made her way through the large mob of people. Only when she got to the front did she recognize. Catra. The sound still raspy, but it had sweetness in it. She wished she'd use that tone with her. So nurturing and mature. A completely different side of her edgy-self.

"Ugh, it's her. Let's get out of here." Adora stopped Glimmer by putting her hand over her mouth as she focused. She quickly recognized the symphony: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. The way she sang the lyrics totally blew her off. So soft, so romantic, contrasting with the growing smirk on her face as soon as she saw... Glimmer. She was interested in Glimmer, not her. Adora then noticed a hat standing in front of the mic stand. It already had lots of money. This is probably how she made her living, out of performing. So of course she was going to help her, and if she got noticed in the process, even better. This was her chance. Adora put on a smug smile on her face and made her way over the hat, a twenty-dollar bill on her left hand.  
Catra finally noticed her, the confidence was lost for a quick second before continuing her singing. Did Adora... had that effect on her? She stepped back to the crowd, still on first line, enjoying the music.

"She's really talented. Maybe we got the wrong impression of her." Bow affirmed with admiration in his eyes and it was only then that Adora figured out that her friends knew who Catra was.

"Wait, you know her too?"

"You know her?" Glimmer spat back. Still glaring at the performer. If looks could kill she'd be dead three times by now.

"Yeah. She's the girl I told you about last week. How do _you_ know her?" Her tone accusatory, jealous. Her mind kept on wandering on all the possibilities. Ex best friends? A possible hook-up? Friends with benefits?

"She's that irresponsible sister we talked to earlier." Adora sighed in relief. Good. Hitting on your sister's past fling would've been awkward.

"Please don't tell me this is the one you have a crush on. She's so immature."

"That's not the impression she gave me. Catra acted very responsibly _with me_. She's also a very correct person. I had to basically beg her to not pay me. I have no idea what she would've done to me if she found out I gave her one fifty. You say she's childish, I say she grew up too fast in my opinion." Bow thankfully chimed in to Adora's side.

"Adora's right, y'know. Taking care of Finn at such a young age can't be easy. How old is she? Twenty-one? She's a child herself raising another child."

"Still. Something doesn't sit right with her. I don't like her." _Good_ , Adora thought, less competence for her. Wait-no. She was one of her patients' sister, that technically was against the rules... right? It wasn't something prohibited by law, but it definitely was weird. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice that the music had stopped playing after Catra thanked the crowd for their generosity.  
  
  


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"Damn, today went well. I bet I could buy you some ice cream and still have lots of money left." Catra said in shock after picking up the hat full of money. From the looks of it she made at least fifty dollars, just perfect.

"Really? And we'd still be good with last month's rest?" She rose her head up with that frown, how did they know? "You're a terrible liar." They stated as a matter of fact, and then their face lit up as soon as they saw their teachers. "What's up?"

"It's Bow and Glimmer and that pretty doctor. They're here!" Catra spared a glance of them arguing with Adora and chuckled bitterly. What a small world. "Yeah, you should've seen the way Sparkles looked at me. She really hates my guts."

"Well then. Let's go over there and make her change idea!"

"What? No!" But it was already too late. They had already approached the group. Catra groaned in annoyance, picked up her guitar and walked over them, her hand protectively over her sibling's shoulder.

"Oh, hi Catra. Nice to see you again." She smirked teasingly at the man. She appreciated his kindness during the meeting. He was an okay guy.

"Hi Bow," She said, and then looked over at Glimmer. "Sparkles." This was going to be interesting. The short woman still bottled her anger, impressive. Not many people were able to. And then her eyes landed on the gorgeous blonde doctor. She still didn't know her name and made it her mission of the day to find out.

"Hello, Catra. What are you doing here?" Glimmer replied, cold as ever, forcing her to repress a laugh.

"Y'know, whenever I'm not working I like to entertain people, and why not make a business out of it." She replied calmly. Her head on top of Finn's.

"It was nice talking to you. But now we gotta go, so..."

"Wait, can we stay a little longer, please? I need to ask Mr. Bow and Ms. Glimmer about homework." Their blue eyes were pleading, and of course, Catra had a soft spot for them.

"Only if that's okay with them. People go to the mall to unwind, not talk about homework. Don't be too pushy. If you still can't understand then I'll help you with it, 'kay?" Her responsible behavior shocked the pair of teachers. So she was able to act mature. Adora, on the other hand, wasn't. That's exactly how Catra acted with her. What she was surprised about was her soft voice, so full of worry and love. Every word that came out of her mouth sounded like poetry, and she was a big fan of it.

"Oh, I don't mind. They can ask me whatever."

"Yeah, we're always available for our best students." Bow added with a bright smile. The three of them started making conversation, leaving Adora and Catra behind.

"Thanks for... y'know, last week. That really helped." The brunette admitted shyly, not looking at her and keeping her eyes on Finn as they all walked around the mall.

"Oh, you're welcome. I like helping people." Catra wanted to retort, remind her that she was not a charity to donate to, but stayed quiet instead. "My name's Adora." She said out the blue in hopes to have a conversation with the hot stranger. Maybe this was her only chance to getting to know her.

"Catra."

"I know." Oh no, did that sound creepy? How could she possibly be so stupid? No way Adora was going to get out of the situation without sounding like a stalker. _She's staring, say something!_

"I-I mean, Finn told me and-and it got stuck in my head. It's a very particular name, yup." Catra eyed her up and down suspiciously before smiling.

"Yeah, I still wonder who decided to come up with a name like that, it's ridiculous."

"I actually find it cute." Adora blurted out, making Catra close her mouth and blush intensely. Maybe she had a chance with her. But their conversation was cut short with Finn chiming in.

"Hey, do you have a business card? You were really great with me." Adora smiled fondly at them and looked for one in her pockets, but there were none.

"Oh man, I don't have any on me. Also, how are you doing?"

"I still have a little bit of cough, but the fever is all gone." And then there was that wicked smile that both women learnt to fear. "Say, how about you give my sister you phone numbers in case of emergencies?" And then a wink that only Adora could see. She knew what they were planning, and totally played along with it.

"Yes, I should _definitely_ do that. Maybe you could text me how Finn's doing through the rest of the week. It's my job to check on patients after all." Catra frowned. No doctor has ever done that before. Bright Moon's clinic really was something else. But before she could do anything, Finn snatched her phone away from her hands and gave it to Adora so she could put her number in.

"Adora Grayskull, that's your last name?" Catra asked once she saw the new contact name.

"Yup, that's me!" Adora confirmed while awkwardly pointing at herself, confidence now long gone. She gave Catra her number. Now the possibilities were endless.

"I'll uh... text you updates on Finn? Although I don't think it'll be very necessary... We gotta go now, though." But Adora wasn't over with the conversation, not yet.

"Hey! Um— If you need me to visit them again I-I can come over if you want... No strings attached!" Another suspicious look from her mismatched and cold eyes was enough to send shivers down her spine.

"That's real nice of you, Adora. I'll think about it." She stayed still on the same place, watch

ing the pair of siblings walk out of her visual. And then, someone coughed behind her. Of course, Bow and Glimmer, both grinning. "So, you gave Catra your number?" The boy asked teasingly and from that moment on she knew she was doomed.

"It's for medical reasons!"

───────────────────────────

"I really can't believe you went as far as this." Catra hissed while scolding Finn once they were at home.

"Why are you so stressed about it? I mean, it's pretty clear she had a crush on you. And you have _her number_. What are you waiting for? Text her already. Maybe something good can come out of this." She older woman sighed, giving up.

"You're watching too many romantic movies. Who knew my sibling would turn out to be a hopeless romantic?"

"Who knew my sister would turn out to be terrible at getting the hint and flirting back." They retorted almost immediately. For their short age, they sure had an attitude. Catra sighed and looked down at her phone. Why was she so nervous about it? Just a simple text, nothing too fancy.

_This is Catra. Finn is doing good. Just a little cough._

Sent.


	3. Hey Adora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra goes to a job interview, Adora finds out more about her.

Catra woke up in a good mood. The day before she went to the landlord to finally pay the rent and got a pleasant surprise when she noticed an extra fifty dollars in her wallet. How it appeared there was a complete mystery but it sure made her happy. Catra was in such good humor that she actually gathered enough energy to stand up from her bed and cook a decent breakfast.

"Someone's happy." Finn said, eagerly biting a piece of bread with a smirk on their face. "Is it because of that doctor? Did you two talk?" And scene, it was gone again. The woman scoffed and put on her leather jacket.

"Yes, about your cough. Told me to get you a syrup. And no, I'm not happy because of that, I'm happy because we finally paid rent and there's a bunch of money left for this month." But instead of cheering, the preteen drank their orange juice and burped. Disgusting.

"You know, you could really use a lesson or two on how to flirt with a tall, blonde, smart woman with a stable job who has an obvious crush on you." And now her cheeks were bright red, they really had no filter when it came to judging her life, must've learnt from Shadow Weaver, but at least they were trying to help instead of sabotage.

"I— She does not! Besides, I don't like her either. I have more important things to worry about, like you." She walked over the table and carefully stroked their cheek with sweetness that could only belong to the most loving of mothers. But her affection was starting to being rejected as the years went on, hurting her each time more. Finn was growing up fast, too fast.

"Cat... I'm twelve." They said, looking away from her, but still leaning to the comforting touch. "And I'm twenty-three. Congrats, you can count."

"Very funny... Will you be on time today?"And then the smile on her face fell as she put her hand in the back pocket of her ripped jeans.

"Today I'm sending over Scorpia to pick you up. You'll stay at her and Perfuma's place until I'll come back for you. I already wrote Sparkles all about it. Is that okay with you?" The kid sighed and put their backpack on. Way to kill the atmosphere, she said to herself.

"I mean, do I have any other choice?"

"Not really. Let's go. At least I'm dropping you off."

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"I really hope it's not a problem for you." Catra said to Perfuma as they hung out behind the counter. The day had been slow so far, and Catra was glad for it. Her lack of sleep was really starting to kick in.

"It's no big deal. Scorpia and I love Finn. Their manners are on point and they're always so polite. You really are doing a great job at raising them." The brunette sighed in relief and smiled back.

Scorpia was one of the first people she met after taking in Finn with her. She was always trying to help out whenever she could and Catra honestly thought that their friendship would be over when she started a relationship with Perfuma. Nobody would want to get involved with your girlfriend's problematic friend and her sibling, but yet there they were, with Perfuma willingly aiding her.

"Catra, dearie, I need you to serve table twelve." Madame Razz asked kindly. The old woman was short and humped, but still had the same energy of a kid. Her vitality truly surprised all the working staff, Catra herself. "Sure thing." She replied and put on her apron, waving a quick "Bye" to her co-worker. As she walked to the table with her notepad on one hand and a pen on the left one she finally noticed the familiar silhouette. _Seriously, was this girl stalking her or something_? But Catra decided to play it cool. Pretending everything was fine and like her heart wasn't going to burst the second she'd see her ocean eyes. So she took a deep breath, and finally spoke up.

"Welcome to Razz's, how may I help you?" And then Adora looked up, smile already on her face as soon as she heard her raspy voice. Paying Razz a visit on her free day was the best idea ever.

"I-Uh... Hi!"

"Hey Adora." Two words. Two words was all it took the blonde to become a complete mess. _Play it cool_ , she told herself repeatedly in her head.

"What What... What do you recommend?" She asked, pointing at the menu in her hands, hands shaking. If she noticed her obvious crush, Catra stayed quiet about it and got closer to her to show her the pictures of their dishes. "Trust me, Razz's cooking in phenomenal, everything you'll take is gonna taste like paradise." And now it was her opportunity. Adora could play this off. Flirting was easy, she was a master at it.

"Oh, I know. I come here pretty often. I wanted to know if there's something new that I might've missed in these past weeks. New..." She eyed her up and down, slowly, _very_ slowly. "additions to the menu, things like that." Adora absolutely nailed it. She was looking at Catra's eyes hungrily with such confidence that threw the other girl off, forcing her to look away.

"I—Uh... Arepas? I actually cook them. I might not know how to cook proper meals but these are pretty easy to do so..." Adora stared at her adorably now, sweet smile on her lips. Catra was truly cute when nervous. Her flushed cheeks and the way she kept on tapping the pen on the notepad were little details that the blonde noticed right away. "I'll take three arepas then. Oh, and a milkshake, please." Catra finally met her glance again and wrote the order down. She was left handed, another little detail that was absolutely not relevant, but would still keep in mind.

"Coming right up, doc." The waitress said, winking at her before leaving, and Adora was a mess all over again. Was she flirting back or just being friendly? Was she smooth enough to make her understand her intentions or was she being too pushy? Was she-?

"Adora! Hi!" She turned around and recognized the familiar voice. "Perfuma, how are you?" The tall woman took a seat in front of her as she watched her co-worker retire to the kitchen.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here? You've never been here on a Friday morning."

"I was bored, but too tired to actually go to the gym so I decided to come by and say hi." The conversation went on for about twenty minutes, with even Madame Razz joining in for a while before she had to go back to business. But Adora kept thinking about _her_. The mysterious attitude, how she ended up raising a child on her own, her life.

"So, Catra..." Perfuma immediately perked up, looking at her with a smirk.

"What about her?"

"Is she new here?"

"Not really. She's been working here for a couple of years. She's actually the one who set me and Scorpia up. You've never seen her because she only works the mornings here and you're always too busy to come." The dirty blonde giggled and shrugged.

"Tell that to the sick kids." And then Perfuma dropped the bomb.

"You interested in her?"

"Interested in who?" Catra finally chimed in, setting the plate down, surprising the two women.

"Catra! Do you know Adora?"

"Sort of." She stated simply as the other girl pulled out her wallet. Now it was time for payback. Catra took in a deep breath a shook her head. "It's on the house. Payment for your help with Finn." She did feel in debt with Adora, and this was probably the only way she could repay.

"But-!"

"It's fine, really." And just like that, she was gone again.

"She's in a good mood today." Adora raised her eyebrows, eyes still fixed on the waitress.

"Really? It seemed like she didn't like me."

"She's like that with everyone. The only exception is Finn. She instantly becomes the most loving person ever. But I take it that you know them already?" Perfuma's smile kept on growing wider and wider, Adora was too easy to read.

"You know, she did mention a cute and kind doctor taking care of them for free." Catra called her cute and kind. She complimented her _twice_! She kept on telling herself to calm down, but her excited tone betrayed her. "She called me cute?!"

"Not really, but she did call you nice! That counts for something. The only compliment she ever said to me was 'hippie' so I'd be honored if I were in your place." Well, still a victory at least.

The arepas were amazing.

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Catra was late, so late. She ran all the way to the other part of the city and finally made it to the entrance. Etheria was one of the biggest corporations in the whole country, and she was lucky enough to finally get a job interview to become an intern stockbroker after months of waiting and now, oh she was terribly late with her apron still on and her hair all messy. Still, there was absolutely no time to debate and made her way in until she reached the room 423. That's where all the important people were, waiting _just_ for her.

Catra took a deep breath and finally stepped in. Everyone watched her as if she was an alien, because of course they would. No one shows up to a job interview dressed up as a waitress.

"Hello. Catra Guerrero." She presented herself as she shook hands with all of them. Double Trouble had a grin on their face, almost expecting this from her. She sat down, and immediately knew this whole thing was going to fail.

"On my way I tried to come up with a story that would explain my being here dressed like this. And I wanted to come up with a story that would demonstrate qualities that I'm sure you all admire here, like earnestness or diligence. Team-playing, something. And I couldn't think of anything. So the truth is... I lost my bus ride after my shift at a diner." The tall and buff woman with white hair tied in a high ponytail laughed out loud. Probably a bad sign. Come on Catra, this could change your life, just focus. "So you ran here?" She asked, a name tag on top of her white shirt. Huntara. "Sure did."

"You good when it comes to cardio?"

"I'm starting to think I'm getting too old for it."

And then the real interview started. Time to get serious.

"Double Trouble says you're determined." They nodded and replied instead of the girl. "She sat there for thirty minutes doing calculations and analyzing all the things I couldn't understand. She really likes Maths." They said, reminiscing the first time they met. Double Trouble was at the diner, working with all sorts of numbers and cursing themselves on how hard their job was. Then Catra casually passed by their table and with a simple glance at their paper she could tell what they did wrong. It ended with her doing their job and them offering her this rare opportunity.

"They said you're clever." Catra sat up straight, hands on her knees. "I'd like to think so."

"And you want to learn this business?"

"Yes, I wanna learn."

"Have you already started learning on your own?"

"Absolutely." But Huntara seemed unimpressed by this, just looked at her resume. "First in your class in High School?"

"Yes, ma'am." And then silence again. This was getting too stressful, so Catra did what she did best: come up with something.

"You know what, though? I'm the type of person if you ask me a question, and I don't know the answer, I'm gonna tell you that I don't know. But I bet you what. I know how to find the answer, and I will find the answer, because that's who I am. Is that fair enough?" The boss eyed her up and down, from the looks of it she didn't like her.

"Catra. What would you say if a girl walked in for an interview, with an apron on, and I hired her? What would you say?"

"She must have had on a really nice leather jacket."

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"Guys, guys!" Adora said as soon as Glimmer and Bow made their way in the apartment after a long day of work. The two best friends looked at her with a frown, not knowing the reason of her excitement. "Yeah?" The girl asked, and Adora basically jumped out of the couch with a goofy smile on her face.

"I saw heerrr!"

"Who?" Bow asked, still completely oblivious, but smiling at how much of a dork Adora was.

"Catra. She work at Razz's! She even cooks!" She frantically opened the paper bag laying on the table and basically showed the arepas on their mouths with enthusiasm. "Look, I ordered something for you two, try them! Aren't they amazing?"

"Very good!" Bow said with a muffled sound and a thumbs up, Glimmer agreed silently with a nod. "Is that why you're this happy, because you find out she works in one of your favorite diners?"

"I also found out she's the one who set up Perfuma with her girlfriend, you know why? Because they work together."

"Wait, didn't Perfuma say she works as a grocery store stocker?" Glimmer knitted her eyebrows together after asking that question, realization finally hitting her. Catra worked both day and night, of course she didn't have the time to pick up Finn from school.

"She does. Do you know what that means? If we invite Perfuma and Scorpia at a gathering maybe they'll take Catra with them. And we can bond." Adora could swear she was basically drooling at the thought of talking to Catra. She really was crushing hard on her, but the sister was there to snap her out of it.

"Well, they are pretty close. I mean, Scorpia did come to pick up Finn today but... I don't think she'd come."

"I agree with Glimmer. If she works this much I highly doubt she'll have time to hang out. And even though she seems like a party girl, she has to take care of Finn. Raising a child is no easy task."

"Also, I don't want her to step inside of this apartment, I don't like her." Adora's smile fell. They were right. With her busy schedule it was very unlikely for them to meet again. But Adora wanted to see her, _needed_ to see her, maybe paying more visits to Razz wasn't such a bad idea.

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Catra and Finn stepped inside their place. To say she was devastated after such a long day was an understatement. She barely thanked Perfuma and Scorpia for taking care of them, but she had no strength left in her body.

"Did you eat?" She asked tiredly after throwing her jacket at a random chair, missing it completely and letting it fall to the ground. "Yup. Did you?" No, she didn't.

"Yeah, I'm full. Do you wanna watch a movie?" Catra asked, looking at the clock on the wall, it was still relatively early, and she didn't have to work tonight, so why not enjoy some quality time with her sibling?

After fighting for half an hour they finally agreed on watching The Notebook, well, Catra let Finn have their way, too tired to actually keep arguing with them. She absolutely hated romantic movies, especially that one, but Finn loved it. Those two were polar opposites, but still got along just fine.

Catra didn't pay attention to it, but wrapped her arms around Finn's body when they snuggled close to her, just like old times. She missed this feeling, they were growing up so fast and this scared her. What if one day they realized what a failure she was? Would they still love her or just leave like she did with Shadow Weaver, without saying a word?

"I love you." Finn whispered, almost reading her mind. Catra smiled and gently kissed their forehead.

"Love you too, kiddo." She mumbled, closing her eyes. The tiredness finally got to her and she finally fell asleep, on the couch, at 8:30 pm on a Friday night.

Finn yawned when the movies was over and turned off the TV. The Notebook was really emotionally draining for them, so they were reasonably tired.

"Cat, come on. Time to go sleep. Get up." They instructed as they stood and rubbed their eyes, ready to head to bed, but Catra did not move. Her forehead was drenched in sweat as her body kept trembling.

"Cat?" The preteen asked again before laying the palm of their hand on her forehead - it was burning. She must've got infected because of them and they were out of medicine since they took the last of it weeks before. What were they supposed to do?

Finn kept pacing around the apartment, wondering worriedly about their sister. They didn't know how to cook a soup or what to do to help her. Until.. Of course! They looked at the tossed jacket on the floor and pulled out Catra's phone out of it and took a look at the business card they snatched days prior. Then, they dialed the phone number and called. It didn't even have to ring twice before their call got answered.

_"Hello?"_


	4. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls finally start getting closer and Catra receives an important call.

Adora immediately ran out of the door of her room with a duffel bag full of medicine and medical tools, ready to go over Catra's, but was quickly stopped by her curious roommates.

"Adora, where are you going? It's 10pm and you're... bringing all that work stuff with you." Glimmer asked with a frown on her face. Sometimes Adora could be really weird. "Yeah, what happened? You've been acting strange since you picked up the phone." Bow chimed in the conversation, turning off the TV. The blonde kept running on the spot, ready to leave at any given opportunity.

"Just doctor stuff, I gotta go! See you tomorrow, maybe? I don't know. Bye!" She didn't even wait for a response and straight up got out of there. No way she was going to tell them she'd spend the night over her crush because she's sick, they would've never believed her and she was sure Glimmer would tease her mercilessly for months, or even years.

As she was driving, Adora didn't know whether to feel excited to see Catra or be worried by how sick told her she was. Finn described it almost as she were supposed to be already in a grave, but it was surely an exaggeration. When the car got closer to destination she noticed they lived in the Whispering Woods neighborhood, it was relatively quiet in there. Nothing too dangerous happened, unlike in the Crimson Waste or the Fright Zone. _Catra probably chose to live here because of Finn_ , she thought. There was no way she would willingly live in such a boring part of city if not to protect her little sibling from any dangers. Adora imagined her to live on a more lively place, like Horror Hall or Beast Island, always busy and full of clubs to go to on the weekends.

 _It's all cool, she's just a patient, you can do it_ , Adora kept repeating herself those words while she waited for someone to open the door, until Finn did it.  
"Hey." They said with a whisper and led the woman in, pointing at their sister trembling on the couch, eyes closed. "I don't know what to do, she's never gotten like this. Can you help?" She sighed and took a look at Catra. She was shaking violently and breathing heavily, one of the saddest sights she had ever witnessed.  
  


"I'm a pediatrician, I treat children."  
"Great! My sister is basically one when she's sick. She gets all spoiled and whiny." Adora chuckled lightly at that as she approached the couch, picking up Catra bridal style with ease. "I'll try my best. Where's her room?"  
  


"End of the hallway, on your right. It's the one with the queen king in the middle." The apartment was small, but cozy. It lacked a bit of decorations, Adora only saw one plant in the middle of the little and round dinner table. Probably a gift of Perfuma's.  
Catra's room only had the essentials, literally. A nightstand with a lamp next to the bed and a closet, that was it.  
Adora proceeded to tuck the brunette under the covers brushing her fingertips against the soft skin of her face to move a strand of hair away. Catra looked so beautiful, so ethereal. From her slender nose to the slightly parted full lips that showed her uncommonly long canines, almost resembling fangs. She was the most gorgeous human being Adora had ever seen.

"Is she going to be fine?" Finn asked once Adora stepped out of the bedroom after checking on the patient, worry on their face.

"Yeah. That's a very harsh flu but everything will be okay. Couple of days at most and the fever will be gone. Maybe she can ask Perfuma to cover for her or something like that." The kid sighed, handing Adora a mug of hot tea since they didn't know how to cook anything else.

"Trust me, she won't do that. She'd rather be buried alive rather than asking someone for help. She hates depending on other people for stuff." Adora crossed her arms and scoffed, what a brat. But it didn't matter, she had the upper hand of the situation.

"Well, she will have to. I don't care what she says, I'm the doctor here. I'll tie her to the bed if that means she'll get to rest." Okay, maybe that was a poor choice of words, but at least Finn didn't understand the double meaning - hopefully. To change the subject, she looked around the living room from the sofa she was sitting on and whistled.

"Nice place you have here." Finn yawned and sat next to her, looking at the TV, an 80's cartoon with a blonde girl and a sword, boring.

"Thanks, we moved in here a few years ago." Now it was her chance to learn more about this -apparently- broken family. How did Catra end up taking care of a child at such a young age, their history, their parents. "Where did you live before?"

"I know what you're trying to do. You should've just asked if you wanted to know our life's story." Well, they were probably too smart for their short age. "I don't have much trouble saying it, mainly because I don't remember most of it." Adora stayed quiet, waiting for them to tell her everything, silently sipping the hot tea.

"We had foster parents. Catra got adopted years before me. Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime, they... they didn't really care for her, just wanted to get the monthly check that came with adopting a child to spend it on other things." Finn looked at her, there was rage when talking about it. Rage not directed to their sister, but rather to the parents. "She's never told me what they did to her exactly - says it brings back bad memories. And after many year they adopted me too, I was just a baby. I didn't stay with them for too long, but I was definitely enough..."

"You don't have to continue." Adora assured after seeing how much they struggled to recall old memories. It was already clear enough for her to understand their upbringing, but they continued.

"Point is: when Catra turned eighteen she took me with her. We got out of there safely, although it was a very hard process with authorities and all that. Nobody would leave a child to take care of another child, but we've made it. And now we're here, safe." Adora smiled warmly at them, their story was really touching, and she could relate to bits of it since she had been a foster kid once too.

"She looks out for me and try to look out for her, that's why I called you. I'm sorry for disturbing you, I know people have probably more important things to do on a Friday night, but I had no idea on what else to do."

"You did the right thing. Also, don't worry: I was bored in my apartment anyway." The kid chuckled, but then their expression turned serious again.

"Hey, it's pretty clear you have a crush on my sister, but if you want something serious with her you'll need to have lots of patience. She has some serious trust issues. Also, don't hurt her. I am rooting for you, but if you make her suffer I will make sure to make your life miserable, got it?" Okay, now the sibling connection was totally clear. Overprotective sister and her secretly overprotective sibling. Cute bond.  
After she nodded frantically, Finn smiled tiredly at her and waved her a quick _goodnight_ before retiring in their room. Now it was time to keep the patient under observation.

  
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Catra woke up the next morning, brain pounding against her thick skull and fever still high. Sitting in front of her was a very familiar silhouette she didn't recognize because of the blinding light coming through the window. She only took a quick grasp of it, blonde hair. But it wasn't enough information for her mind to process it.  
"Are you an angel?" She asked weakly, causing the other woman to internally scream. It wasn't until her vision was all cleared up that she finally understood who was a actually sitting in front of her bed.

"Hi Catra. I regret to inform you that you're not dead yet, therefore, not in paradise with some angel." To describe her feeling as simple embarrassment was the understatement of century, Catra felt beyond mortified. Her mind was still too confused to understand the situation she was in, so Adora patiently explained her. "Finn called me here, told me you were sick. Are you feeling any better?" She asked with such kindness that made Catra's heart melt in the spot. Okay, maybe she was starting to have feelings for her, no big deal. She didn't want a relationship, or even a hookup, there were more important things to worry about. "I'm good... You can go now, I'll be fine." She answered coldly, her aggressive attitude back on board, but the doctor just giggled and _Oh_ did Catra's heart missed a beat because of that sweet sound.

"Sorry, can't do that. You can't even sit up." The brunette growled dangerously in response, but Adora still kept her smile and positive attitude.

"I'll help you around the house and with Finn while also checking on you. I have a free weekend so it won't be a bother. Like I said, no strings attached."

"I'm... I'm fine."

"Keep telling yourself that, maybe in a couple of days you'll be really better. I'll take good care of you until then, so deal with it. I don't care if you're too stubborn to accept my help, I am a doctor, and as such, I am ordering you to do as I say." Catra wanted to slap that stupid smirk off her face, who did she think she was to order her around like that? _Oh, right_.   
The blonde opened a water bottle and laid it carefully against Catra's lips with one hand behind her head, raising it in order to avoid any spilling. Catra welcomed the cold liquid down her throat and eagerly swallowed every bit of it in less than a minute.

"Finn?" Was the first thing she asked after Adora wiped her mouth clean with a rag after a few drops of water eventually met her cheeks as she drank. The blonde's eyes widened as she looked away with a nervous smile. _That wasn't a good sign._

"Er... They said they were going over to their friend, Frosta I think. Group project or something like that. They- they told me you already gave them permission so I let them go alone since that classmate lives around here. I hope I did the right thing." Adora could feel Catra's glare even though she wasn't looking at her, but then the other woman relaxed and laid back her head back on the soft pillow.

"You got lucky. I did actually give them permission and Frosta is a close friend." Catra finally found enough strength to sit up, although that simple action took her breath away. "Where'd you sleep?" She asked with loud pants. The doctor looked down, fidgeting with her fingers playfully.

"I didn't? I kinda took a chair from the living and moved it here to keep you under observation... maybe I did fall asleep for a few minutes though." The brunette scoffed and took the covers off of her, ready to actually stand of her feet, but Adora quickly stopped her and guided her back down, tucking her in again. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I mean, I was gonna cook some breakfast as, you know... thanking you." She muttered the last words, not really wanting Adora to actually hear her. But to her dismay, she did. She listened and grinned like a dumb jock who had just won an argument.

"That's real nice of you, but it's almost 1pm, maybe it's time for lunch, which I have already ordered, my treat. I hope you like soup, because you'll be eating lots of it."

Catra did not, in fact, enjoy lunch, especially when it came to swallow and Advil. If there was something she absolutely hated, that was popping down pills, Adora had to literally open her mouth and force to do it before Catra finally gathered enough courage and did it herself.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a brat?" The brunettes shrugged with a smirk, enjoying the little company she had. She was feeling noticeably better after the medicine, even though it made her a little sleepy, but it was nice having someone to talk to.

"I swear, you're worse than some kids"

"You _chose_ to work with brats. It's not my fault you don't know how to deal with little rascals."

"At least I don't have to deal with one basically 24/7. Although Finn is very well-mannered, so I guess it can't be that hard raising a kid." Catra almost chocked on air, Adora had no idea what taking care of someone that young really meant.

"Sorry, but you guessed wrong, blondie. Who do you think taught them all that stuff? And it's still pretty much a challenge. Y'know, trying to not lash out at them when you're having a bad day, making sure they're well-fed, helping with homework when they don't understand stuff... Pretty complicated if you ask me." Adora looked at her with a tilted head and a questioning look on her face. She had never thought of it that way. She always believed children were supposed to be fed, watered and take them to the playground to play, at least that was everything she ever needed. What Catra described sounded way too complicated.  
If she had a question, it didn't came out of her mouth. Instead, the sound of a phone ringing invaded the room. She saw Catra's eyes widen as she immediately picked up the call. _What was going on?_ Her eyes popped open as soon as the interlocutor started talking.

"Yes, it's me. Yes Catra Guerrero... Of course, yes... I will gladly accept your offer-" Catra's voice was shaky, almost betraying her fake facade of confidence, but the smile spread across her face assured Adora that she was receiving good news.

"Monday to Frinday from 1pm to 7pm? That's... No! It's completely fine, I'll be there on Monday." And then Catra's smile slowly fell as she sighed and drowned her heavy head into the palms of her hands after hanging up the phone. Adora immediately worried. "Something wrong?" Catra wasn't the type to open up to people about her problems, but seeing how much she enjoyed Adora's company in the last few hours, she decided to speak out of instinct, without even thinking about it.

"I-I got an internship as a broker at Brightmoon. Only one out of fifty are called back for a period of three months. There are a total of twenty candidates, most of them come from high upbringings and definitely went to college, so they have higher chances to be chosen as the only broker they are looking for."

"I know you can do it." Adora said seriously, already believing in Catra's abilities without even knowing what a broker actually did.

"That's not the problem -I mean yeah, there's pressure there- but Finn... they finish school at 3pm. I can't go pick them up." Catra sighed and looked out of the window. The sun was shining bright, too much of a beautiful day to be wasted in bed.

"Glimmer and Bow could look out for them." Well, that affirmation was definitely weird in Catra's ears, and Adora picked up on it immediately.

"We are roommates. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having them around, considering they're their favorite student." She explained calmly, holding Catra's hand in reassurance, rubbing her thumb across her warm and incredibly soft palm. Such simple action felt so intimate to Catra. Not being used to physical contact that involved loving touches was stupidly weird for her, so unexpected.  
Noticing the growing blush on Catra's face, Adora realized the intimacy of the action between the two acquaintances. She debated on letting go, but seeing how the other woman didn't reject her touch, she stayed there, continuing her motions.

"Also, I think Glimmer has a crush on you, so she might agree in doing it just to impress you." She added with a lighthearted joke, but also as an attempt to see if Catra was into her or not.

"Sparkles, seriously?" Adora chuckled and nodded at Catra's shocked eyes.

"No thanks. Can you imagine us together? We'd be at each other's throats all the time. Also, I don't have time to waist on relationships now." At the last sentence Adora's hear sank in her chest. She had already heard from Perfuma that Catra wasn't looking for a partner, but hearing directly from her still hurt. She shrugged it off with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I bet you're super busy with Finn, your three jobs and occasional performances, which, by the way, are amazing." There it was, another blush Catra could not hide, but at least she could blame it on the fever rather than the beautiful doctor sitting on the chair right next to her bed.

"When will the next one be?"

"Don't know, when I'll have free time."

"So, never?" Catra laughed, actually laughed.

"It depends, we'll see."

"Well, now you sound like a lame adult."

"Says the one forcing me to stay in bed."

"You are sick, this is for your own good." And then Adora realized...

"Oh my gosh, I am a lame adult!"

"Told ya."

  
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The girls spent the entire day talking about their jobs, their lives, but not their past. It didn't matter, and Adora didn't want to bring back old memories, same thing with Catra.  
Eventually Adora let her get up from the bed and they ended up on the couch, watching a movie on the TV. The sick woman couldn't watch a scene without making a sarcastic comment about the protagonists' choices, but Adora didn't mind and even chimed in sometimes.  
  


What a surprise Finn found when they came back home; The two of them were sleeping together. Catra's legs sprawled on Adora's lap as she had her head laid against a pillow behind it. 

"Wake up, lesbians!" They shouted and _oh how satisfying_ it was to see their flushed faces when they realized the situation. Catra immediately moved her legs away and smiled warmly at Finn, pretending like nothing happened.

"What's up kid?"

"Just came back from Frosta's. How are you feeling?" They asked kindly while approaching her and resting their hand against her forehead. Still hot, but not too much.

"Much better now." _Yeah, I bet_ , they thought, sparing a glance at Adora. She was still sleepy, result of not having slept the night before. The blonde finally stood up with a loud yawn.

"Well, since you're already better I guess my work here is done. Remember to stay hydrated and do not overwork yourself too much, 'kay?" Catra nodded sheepishly with a smile that Finn knew all too well. "Okay, doc. See you around." Catra kept her eyes on Adora until the very last moment she was inside the apartment. As soon as she was gone she noticed Finn's smirk, and immediately knew they were going to have a conversation about it very soon.


	5. Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better way to celebrate Valentine's day by writing a Catradora fic to remind you how lonely you are?

That day Adora came back home to an hysterical Glimmer on the verge of tears and Bow trying to calm her down.

"Where were you? You didn't answer any of our calls! Do you have any idea on how worried we were?!" Adora thought about going back to Catra's and avoid this conversation, but she couldn't postpone it forever, those were her roommates. "Uh..."

'Well?" Glimmer asked again, arms crossed over her chest, Bow in the meanwhile was watching the scene from a safe distance, behind the couch.

"Promise me you won't tease me about it or get mad."

"I _am_ already mad!" Well, that was true. Her red face and the veins popping out of the neck definitely proved that.

"Okay, well. Catra wasn't feeling well so I came to check on her."

"You spent the night with her?!" Bow shrieked, freaking out because he already knew Glimmer's future reaction.

"I can't believe you hooked up with one of my student's sister!"

"I didn't hook up with her! She was really sick and I kept her under observation. Besides, Finn was in the apartment."

"Oh, so you're saying you would've done something if they weren't there." Adora's face turned as red as a tomato in a matter of seconds. Glimmer wasn't technically wrong, but she wasn't exactly right either. She did have a crush on Catra, but they were still strangers, acquaintances at most.

"What?! No! I mean- I would've liked to- but no!" A smirk formed on Glimmer and Bow's faces, making the frustrated woman groan in desperation. Her red face was hidden behind her big hands.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you guys! I knew you'd get like that."

"I mean, I don't blame you. Catra is _hot_ , such a shame for that personality." Oh, Adora lost it at that comment, jealousy invading her body and making her mind foggy.

"You don't know her."

"Oh, because I'm totally sure you do. How many times have you met her, three?"

"Four, to be exact. B-But I'm right! Finn told me about their past, which I suppose you don't know of."

"That's because I'm not interested in it." Adora scoffed and looked away. Catra was right, those two would totally be at each other's throats if they were together.  
Being too engulfed in the moment, Glimmer didn't notice the hesitations in Adora's words and movements, but Bow did. He came out of his hiding spot and approached the girls cautiously.

"There's something more, right?" The blonde looked at her friend in the eyes and dropped the bomb.

"I kinda promised her you'd take care of Finn every weekday for the next three months? She got an internship as a broker at Bright Moon and I... I wanted to help her out."

"I feel like you're trying to get us to be your wingmen." He said with a chuckle. Between the three of them he was definitely the calmer one. Thankfully he was always there to calm a fight down when it happened, even if that meant getting hit by a flying object. "I mean, if you put in a good word whenever Catra picks them up I wouldn't mind."

"She agreed on it?" Glimmer asked, now much calmer by trying not to freak out again.

"She said she'd think about it, but I don't know if she will. She hates depending on other people, but what other options does she have?"  
  


  
───────────────────────────  
  


"We need to talk." Finn said seriously as they handed their sister a mug of tea as she laid in bed. Catra had been avoiding the subject whenever they brought it up by faking to be asleep, but knew it was useless to keep doing it. Finn was incredibly stubborn and wouldn't let go until they obtained what they wanted. "Sure, what's up?"

"Don't play dumb. Are you and Adora an item?" She almost chocked on the tea, they were too straightforward.

"An item? We've know each other for three weeks at most." The kid sat on the edge of the mattress, his eyes stuck in the ceiling in a look that Catra knew all too well: they were fantasizing. "That's enough time to fall in love."

"I'm starting to think you need to stop watching all those rom-coms, they're messing up your concept of reality."

"And I am starting to think that you need a girlfriend, and Adora is _perfect_ for you. She's nice, smart, funny and she cares a lot about you. I mean, she came here on a Friday night to look after you, that has to mean something, right?" Catra playfully rolled her eyes and ruffled their blonde hair. "It means she has a hero complex. Don't overthink things, kiddo."

"B- But, the way I found you on the couch? Come on, you can't tell me nothing happened between you two. You know I won't judge you. Also, I learned what sex is in health class so I know all about it. Don't be scared to share details." Catra's heart rate was up to the stars at that point, even though none of things happened, their implication was already enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Finn, no! We did _none_ of that. Stop with this stupid fantasy, please. I don't have time for relationships and I don't like her." Her tone wasn't angry, rather annoyed, but it was already enough to slightly upset the kid. She noticed it immediately and took a deep breath to calm down.

"I appreciate you worrying for me, but I am doing just fine. I have everything I need right here." Catra poked Finn's nose with her index finger, causing them to smile again.

"I know I know. I just want you to relax more and not be this stressed all the time, especially now that you got that internship, things are going to be bad for you. I thought that a girlfriend would've made you... I don't know."

"Hey, I get it. But a relationship requires time, and I have none of that. I don't even have enough time for a booty call."

"Booty call?" Too much, she said way too much. Abort mission.

"You'll get it when you're older." Perfect, that was some good parenting. After all Shadow Weaver and Prime taught her something actually useful.  
Finn frowned at her and then shrugged. "Whatever, I'll google it later."

"If you even dare I will ground you for the rest of your life." Despite her illness, the authoritarian tone was still present, much to Finn's dismay.  
Then Catra's phone ringed, and the younger sibling immediately reached out for it to read the text out loud. "From: Adora! I see..." They said teasingly, but continued to read with a theatrical intonation.

"Do not go to work tomorrow. I've already asked Perfuma if she could cover for you and even said Scorpia will do the same for your night shift since they both agreed on it. I'll only allow you to go to that internship on the afternoon. By the way, Finn can stay at our place for all the time needed, don't worry about it... I don't know Cat, that seems like a declaration of _love_."

"Oh shut up. She's just a nice weirdo, that's it."

"Also, our place? What does that mean?" She sighed and took a sip of tea, it was finally starting to calm her down a little bit.

"She lives with Bow and Sparkles. So you better be nice. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am."  
  


──────────────────────────

Catra received call sheets with the phone numbers of employees from every fortune 500 company in the financial district. She had been pooling from 60 Fortune companies and maintained cold-calls with potential clients in the last two months, but she knew that if requested she had to have lunch with them, have breakfast with them, even baby-sit for them; Do whatever it took to familiarize them with Bright Moon's packages. She had to match their needs and goals to one of their many financial plans.  
Like Double Trouble said: "In essence, you reel them in, we'll cook the fish."  
Some of those candidates were there because they knew somebody, some because they thought they were actually somebody, but there was only one person who was going to be that somebody. And that someone was the one who could turn eight hundred thousand in commission dollars.

She even had to pass a board exam, and for that, she had to study all 725 pages of Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd.  
They said she had to consider that brick as her bible. She ate with it, drank with it, even brought it to work.  
It was simple: X number of calls equaled X number of prospects. X number of prospects equaled X number of customers. X number of customers  
equaled X number of dollars in the company's pocket.  
Whoever brought in the most money after six months was usually hired.  
All candidates were working their way up call sheets to sign clients; From the bottom to the top, from the doorman to the CEO.  
Catra was determined to win this competition, to have the job. In order not to waste any time she wasn't hanging up the phone in between calls. She realized that by doing that she gained another eight minutes a day. She wasn't drinking water so she didn't' waste any time  
in the bathroom.  
But even doing all this after two months, she still didn't have time to work my way up a sheet.

So there she was, sitting on a boring desk, wondering if she should take the risk and call Entrapta, the pension fund CEO. Maybe it was a risky idea, but if everything went well then she'd get a potential and important client of her side. So, she called either way, it was her best chance at getting the job.

"Yes, hello, my name is Catra Guerrero. I'm calling for Ms. Entrapta."

"Concerning?" The voice at the end of the line asked, probably an assistant. "Yes, sir. I'm calling from Bright Moon."

"Just a moment." Those three seconds felt like eternity for Catra, she had to make this work. For her future, for Finn's future. "Hello?"

"Ms. Entrapta. Hello, ma'am. My name's Catra Guerrero. I'm calling from Bright Moon. I would love to have the opportunity to discuss some of our products. I'm certain that I could  
be of some assistance to you."

"How amazing! Today I'm having gala, how would you like to come? We can talk there." Well, that was certainly weird. Why was this woman so excited to hear her talk? Most people just hung up on Catra, but not her. However, it didn't matter, she wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

"Can you be there at 9pm?"

"9pm. Absolutely, yes. Thank you very much."

"Bring a date!" A date? She didn't have somebody be her date, and bringing Finn was totally out of discussion. Come on Catra, think. Both Scorpia and Perfuma couldn't go out tonight, it was their anniversary. Mermista had the night shift at Razz's and she didn't know nobody else except for... Adora and Glimmer, and the choice was quite obvious. So she dialed the familiar phone number in hopes she'd pick up.

"Hello"

"Adora, are you free later tonight?" She asked immediately with evident panic in her voice that got noticed by the blonde. "Yeah yeah. Is everything okay?"

"I- I know you've already done so much for Finn and I but..." Okay breathe, she told herself. She didn't know if she was freaking out more because of the opportunity or because she was asking Adora out. "Calm down. I'll help you out, just tell me what I have to do."

"I might get a potential client and if everything goes well I'll get the job."

"Well, that's amazing, I know you can do it." Catra hated her so much when she did this, giving her hopes, complimenting her so casually.

"Shut up, I'm not done. Her name in Entrapta, she invited me to a gala tonight and told me to bring a date. I have no other options aside from you and Sparkles and-"

"I'll be there." Adora said confidently, there was somewhat of a possessive tone in her voice, but Catra didn't catch it.

"Please dress up. I'm putting on a suit."

"Sure, of course!"

───────────────────────────  
  


Adora felt so nervous her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she pulled over Catra's. They decided to take the car since it'd be very late at night, well, Adora offered to drive. Catra was just fine with walking for two hours to get there and other two to go back home.  
"Okay Adora, she's only doing this because she had no other choice." She told herself. When Catra called her in her working hours she knew something serious was going on, but she had never imagined to be invited to attend a gala.  
The two of them haven't kept in contact, mainly because Catra was too busy with work. Whenever she'd pick Finn up she only waved a quick _hi_ and then left without saying another word. But even thought they didn't talk or saw each other often, Adora could clearly see how tired Catra was, it was honestly a miracle that she was still standing on her feet.

As she stood outside of their door with a rose in her hand she heard her heartbeat through her ears, that's how over the edge she felt. And then the door opened to reveal Finn, they had a smug smile on their faces. "Cat, your _girlfriend_ is here!" At that word Adora's face turned the same shade as the sleeves dress she was wearing. "I told you not say that!" Catra's voice echoed through the hallway as she made her way over them. "Have fun, but not too much. I want her home by midnight." Finn said dangerously, almost like a parent worrying for their daughter. It was quite funny considering how the rules were actually reversed.

"Yes mx, will do my best not to disappoint you." And then she _finally_ appeared. She wore a tuxedo, just like she said she would. The brunette's face showed a hint of blush that quickly faded, but then reappeared when she saw the rose in Adora's hands.

"Oh oh yeah. I brought it for you." Catra gently held it. Her mouth gaped open to say something, but no sound came out of those beautiful lips. Instead, she turned to glare at her sibling, who had whistled in approval. "Okay okay, I get it. I'll go to sleep now. Be careful out there."  
"Ready to go?" Adora asked holding her hand out once they were finally out of view. "Yeah, let's go." Catra replied as she walked past her, _completely ignoring_ the offer she had just received, and disappointing Adora. She got disappointed once more after opening the door of her to get in.

"You don't need to do this. It's not a real date." Okay, that hurt a little. But luckily she had a good comeback. "I know. But I take dates very seriously, even _fake_ ones." Catra rolled her eyes playfully and got in.

  
"Okay then, I can play this game too, _princess._ " Oh, she was already starting with the pet names, that definitely did _not_ cause Adora to almost choke on air. But she was smart enough to not continue with the argument, so she changed to course of the conversation.

"Do you want me to stay next to you all the time and don't speak at all or you want me all lovey dovey on you?" Now it was Catra's turn to get flustered on her. She actually didn't think of what bringing Adora as her date actually meant. 

"I- I mean, I'm fine with everything, but I hate PDA."

"Got it. Hand-holding and occasional hugs from time to time. Do you want me to stay by your side?" Catra looked out of the window as Adora drove, everything to avoid her ocean eyes. "Well," She started, but then stopped to think about it for a few seconds.

"It'd be nice to have someone I know be next to time, _even_ if that someone is _you_. I don't know anyone there so... yeah." Okay, maybe that was a bit too much sentimental.

"Besides, if you don't stick next to me you'll probably get lost somewhere and the last thing I want is looking for you when I'm supposed to talk to potential clients." Her eyes darted on Adora changing gear and _wow_ the girl was _ripped_. She was sure she was one of those gym freaks by how defined her muscles were.

───────────────────────────

As they made their way inside the glorious mansion to reach the vast garden Catra eagerly held Adora's hand without hesitation. She held her as if she was a superior being, someone to be _proud_ of to take with them at such a formal event. The blonde tried her best to not smile at the thought, but she couldn't help it. But when she saw Catra's serious face, she squeezed gently her hand, sending shivers down the brunette's back without knowing it.

"You're gonna do just fine. If you got this far it means you have what it takes. I'm proud of you for getting this far and I'll be even prouder when you'll get the job." Catra looked up at her for a split second and then went back to the view ahead of them. She couldn't allow Adora to know how she made her feel. She couldn't know how fast her heartrate would go whenever she saw her and the physical contact made her drunk in _lust_. It was hard to resist her primal instincts when she was simply around her, but she managed just fine. 

"Don't get all sappy on me, doc. I'm not nervous, I know I'll do great."

And so the night went on. Catra talking to all that fancy people about her job, but she still avoided the big bait: Entrapta and her husband Hordak. They had millions, and if she got her hands on them then everything would be done, everything would be fine. She did already recollect a few business cards by some businessmen, but they weren't her primal focus at the moment.   
Adora stayed next to her all the time, only leaving to refill her cup with champagne occasionally, she offered Catra some, but she politely declined even though she hated alcohol with all of her being and wanted to throw all the bottles away.   
Eventually the couple was approached by a familiar presence for Catra: Double Trouble.

"Kitten, hi. I didn't expect you to be here. I see you are aiming very high." _Kitten? Why did they call Catra that_? Adora wondered, and her jealousy acted up. She kept her smile in place and hugged her from behind, her arms laid on Catra's waist possessively in hopes that she wouldn't find out about her obvious crush for her. At this point everyone could see it; Bow, Glimmer, Perfuma, Finn... they all knew, so how was it possible for her to not have noticed? Was she really that oblivious?

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your date?" Adora could feel Catra's body tense at the word, maybe she had feelings for her too, right? Adora smirked at the thought of it and left a quick peck on the crook of the _neck_ before abandoning their position to shake their hand.

"Hi, I'm Adora. Nice to meet you."

"Double Trouble. I didn't know Catra had a girlfriend. She doesn't seem exactly like the type for relationships, especially considering for work-focused she is. Once I told her she needed to get laid and she growled at me. Now I know why."

"O- oh yeah. We've been dating for a few months and..." As the conversation between them went on, Catra finally spotted Entrapta and Hordak all alone and finally decided to make her move. She slowly left Adora and Double Trouble to their conversation and approached her bait.

"Wow, this is the way to organize a gala. Thank you very much for this, really." The short woman smiled enthusiastically at her while her husband's smile fell as soon as he saw her.  
"Hey, it's my pleasure, Catra. I love watching human interactions happening. Every single one is so unique and special and studying them makes me happy. So thank you for participating in my social experiment."

"And I also wanna thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss the asset management capabilities of Bright Moon, which we believe to be far superior to anything you got going over at the Horde. Really, I think you're gonna be blown away. Point blank, Bright Moon needs to be managing your retirement portfolio." Entrapta's smile turned into a sympathetic one, that was for sure a not good sign.

"You know, I didn't have any notion that you were new there. I like you, but-" Hordak cut her off to continue. If looks could kill, Catra would be already dead by now.

"There's not a chance we're gonna let you direct our fund. That's just not gonna happen anytime soon." If looks could kill, then Hordak would've died al least _three times_. Luckily for the both of them, their growing tension was cut off by Entrapta.

"So, you know, come on, relax. I'd love to watch your interactions." Catra only nodded and stormed away as calmly as she could. She had failed, what were her other alternatives? _None_.   
She quickly made her way to an empty bathroom and started taking deep breaths in order to calm down, but it was all useless.

───────────────────────────

As Adora's and Double Trouble's conversation went on, more people started joining in, but there was one presence missing. She knew where she went, but if she wanted to come with her she would've asked her instead of dumping her. So she stayed put and kept bragging about Catra to everyone: how amazing she was, how good she was at her job, the way she was extra careful with things she was interested in, every good thing about her.   
But when she noticed her date storming inside the house with a visibly upset face, she didn't think twice about leaving the group of people to follow her inside the toilet.  
She was about to cry, she could see that. Tears were forming at the corners of the eyes, but she still tried to keep calm by taking deep breaths. Apparently it wasn't working to calm her down, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Hey." Catra immediately turned to look at her with scared eyes, and Adora locked the door behind them, she didn't want any interruptions. "Don't worry, it's just me. What happened?"

"Just leave Adora." She said faintly, holding onto the sink so she wouldn't collapse on the floor, but of course she didn't listen. Instead, Adora hesitantly held her hands with such gentleness that caused her heart to melt, she treated her as if she was an object made out of crystal, afraid to hurt her.

"Is it okay if I hug you? I feel like you need one right now." Catra stayed quiet for about a minute or so, until her head nodded slightly. After that, her body was quickly engulfed by a warm touch that made her tense up for a second before finally giving in.

"They won't let me direct their fund." She finally chocked out, voice raspy and barely audible. Catra was ready for Adora to pull away, call her a failure. After all that is what people used to tell her all the time when she was younger. But she was met with kindness and the loving motions of Adora's hands behind her back, drawing circles on it.

"It's fine. You don't need them." How _dare_ she. That was her big and only opportunity to get the job, and there she was saying she didn't need them.

"How could you-?"

"This night was a huge success regardless. You still hooked a lot of businessmen. Word around says you're pretty good a t doing a good job, I'm sure they'll trust you enough. They might not be as big of a deal as Entrapta and Hordak, but they are _a lot_." Adora left a quick and soave kiss on Catra's forehead and wiped the tears out of her face.

"I know you're very upset right now, but you have to look at the bigger picture, 'kay? I'm proud of you, I really am. Look how far you've come. Now you have dozens of clients at your feet. That's pretty amazing if you ask me." Okay, _maybe_ Adora was right after all. Catra had focused so much on the primary target that she didn't notice how many she had already hit. She could work with what she had accomplished tonight. Realizing how dramatic she'd been, she chuckled at the taller woman.

"Sorry, I don't know why I got this emotional." Adora tilted her head so that their foreheads were touching, a smile plastered on her face. Catra quickly fought the urge to kiss her away, she was _just_ being _friendly_ to her, but her hand instinctively cupped Adora's cheek. Now it was her turn to internally freak out by how close they were.

"Hey, it's good to express your feelings, don't ever apologize for doing that."

"Thank you, for everything. I don't know where I'd be right now without your support. I mean it." It was so weird for Catra to express her thoughts, but in that moment, with just the two of them, isolated from anyone and anything else, it felt natural. When she looked up she saw Adora's eyes darken as her pupils expanded. Her expression was still neutral, but something changed in their dynamic, everything was so tense, so heavy.   
Adora slowly moved a strand of hair away from Catra's face, admiring her beauty openly, without shame. Her beautiful mismatched eyes, her little nose, all those cute freckles, the full lips she felt magnetized to... everything about Catra made her lose her mind.

"Whenever you'll need me, I'll be there for you. I promise." She said in a dangerously low tone, sending shiver's down Catra's whole body. She didn't reply, just waited for the inevitable to happen.   
Adora's lips gravitated towards hers, but stopped when she was just a few inches inches away. 

"Can I kiss you?" Catra suppressed a whine, all rational thoughts were thrown out of the window by that moment, so she whispered a hoarse "Yes" before their lips finally touched. Everything felt so surreal to the both of them. They way their lips melted together drove them crazy.   
Adora started it as a slow and gentle kiss, taking all the time needed, but Catra's years of inactivity caused her to turn it into an energetic one, carefully slipping her tongue in and shocking Adora by how much passion she put in it.  
Adora's hands traced the sides of Catra's body, until they reached her hips. At that moment she swiftly picked her up and set her on the sink, still not breaking the kiss. The brunette almost let out a growl when she settled herself between her legs, creating friction and driving her to insanity.

"A- Adora." Her name sounded like honey coming out of Catra's mouth, and it caused her to release a moan.   
They stayed like that for several minutes. Exploring each other's mouths and bodies shamelessly. Adora's hand was slowly going up Catra's right thigh until a knock could be heard, ruining the moment.   
Catra immediately jumped off the counter and checked the both of them in the mirror to see if they looked presentable. She eventually helped Adora with her messy hair with a shy smile.

"Do I look good?"

"You are _perfect_." Catra stated casually. She looked so calm, at peace, almost as if what happened didn't knock the air out of her lungs, but after all, she was good at _pretending_ things were going fine.

When they stepped out of the bathroom Catra went back to talking to other potential clients, still holding Adora's hand from time to time, but basically ignoring her. 

───────────────────────────

The ride back home was silent, and awkward. Both of them didn't know what to say -or _do_ \- to each other. Their tension was still incredibly high, even after that intense kiss.  
Adora was freaking out on the inside, what was she supposed to do now? Was their friendship ruined? Why did Catra agreed on kissing her if she wasn't the type for hookups and relationships? But she pushed all those thoughts aside when she pulled over and turned the engine off.

"I hope Finn won't get mad at me for bringing you back home at 2am instead of midnight."

"Oh man, I hope I don't get grounded." Catra replied sarcastically, but then her tone got serious.

"Hey, Adora."

"Yes?" She replied immediately after, in hopes that Catra would ask her out on a date, or just reassure her that the friendship was still there.

"What happened earlier... we can't let it happen again. Got it?" Adora's heart broke as she nodded slowly. She then reached over the handle to open the door for Catra, unintentionally getting a little too close. She froze as soon as she realized that their faces were incredibly near once again.

"Yeah, I get it." She breathed out, looking at Catra's lips. The action was reciprocated by the other woman as well. They stayed still, not daring to move a single muscle. And even though Catra's words affirmed one thing, her actions confirmed another. She lost all notion of reality and pulled Adora down her lips, not caring about the future, just worrying about _savoring_ the present.


	6. Get Laid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: NSFW content. If you don't feel comfortable with sex scenes then you can skip the last part of the chapter that'll be introduced by this symbol: * * *

Adora wasn't met with an interrogation when she came home, she wasn't ready to answer all the possible questions Glimmer and Bow had for her, mainly because she _didn't know_ the answers herself.  
Catra and her didn't do much to go past first base before she left the car without saying another word, leaving her in a confused state. How could she say that they couldn't kiss anymore and right after _kiss_ her _again_? It didn't make any sense. _Were they still friends? Were they something more?_ She didn't know.  
After the first kiss Catra was so cold and distant, the polar opposite of how she acted while they were making out thirty seconds earlier. When they were together she was so intense, so _loving,_ passionate. Everything about that side of Catra made Adora even more interested in her, but what if she didn't want anything to do with her?

Adora sighed in desperation as she ate breakfast, raising questioning looks from her roommates. Okay, _maybe_ she needed to talk about the situation, perhaps they could've helped her out. She sighed again, this time much more loudly to finally catch their full attention.

"Something wrong Adora?" Bow asked kindly with a smile.

"I kissed Catra." She blurted out. Glimmer groaned a chugged her coffee in one big gulp. If she was going to have to have this conversation then she needed to have something in her system. She set the mug on the table calmly and only then realized what her foster sister had just said.

"You did what?!" She screamed, scaring Adora. Bow, on the other hand, just flipped another page of the local newspaper, unbothered. "Why? How? When?!"

"Tonight. We were in the bathroom and- and... I don't know. I think we both got lost in the moment. B- b- but then! She uh... we were in the car and she told me that couldn't happen again." Glimmer released a breath in relief and smiled, collecting herself back again.

"Okay, at least one of you was smart enough to admit it."

"... And then she kissed me again." Adora whispered, afraid of her reaction. Thankfully Bow helped her out by laying his hand on Glimmer's shoulder before she could stand from the chair she was sitting on to hit her.

"If you're happy then we're happy. Right, Glimmer?" The short woman just growled dangerously at him and folded her arms over her chest. "So, are you planning on dating her?"

"I-I-I don't know. I like her, I really do! But she, ugh..." Adora buried her face between her hands, not knowing exactly how to word the next sentence. "She told me she didn't want it to happen again. After it happened the first time she was so distant, so cold. I don't want that. I like being her friend and I don't want to ruin everything."

"Wake up, you've already kissed! Just talk to her about it. If she doesn't want anything with you then drop it. You know, communicating is important if you want to have a relationship." Bow nodded and then expressed his opinion with a lighthearted smile. "Glimmer's right. You do need to talk. Tell her how you feel, maybe you can work this out."

"If she doesn't want you then she isn't worth it. You know you only deserve the best." Adora smiled at that comment. She _did_ deserve only the best. That was what everyone had ever told her for her whole life: from _Mara_ to Angella, Micah, Bow and Glimmer, everybody wanted her to be happy. So if that meant cutting Catra out of her life then so be it. She couldn't wait for her to come around.  
  
  


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Catra woke up the morning later feeling restless. She and Adora only managed to make out for a few minutes before Finn called her on the phone, telling her they recognized the gray Toyota parked in front of building. Of course, they got scolded for being awake at 2am by a flustered Catra whom got off the vehicle without _daring_ to look at Adora again.  
_Fuck_ , she thought, things got out of hand last night. She was too emotional and Adora had been drinking. And even though she did it responsibly since she had to drive, there must've been some kind of effect that influence, right? There was _no way_ she would've kissed her if she were sober.

As she made her way to school with Finn she kept thinking about the way Adora made her feel at night. How she caressed her thighs, her back, her neck. She could still feel the hesitant -yet _confident_ \- touch across every curve of her body. Adora really pulled a number on her, who would've ever thought she was such a skilled kisser, definitely not Catra.  
When the pair of siblings finally reached the school they were greeted by Bow and Glimmer, as per usual. Catra handed Finn their lunchbox and kissed their forehead, knowing how much they hated public displays of affection. The kid groaned and pulled away after a second.

"Cat, not in front of everyone!" The adult chuckled and ruffled their hair, not paying attention at Bow's face staring at the scene in pure awe.

"I'll pick you up earlier today. I have that stupid board exam."

"You ready?" That exam was so important. The rest of her life depended on it, the rest of _their_ life depended on it. She had to do it flawlessly, no mistakes allowed. If she failed, she would've never been able to forgive herself for it.

"I hope learning and memorizing 725 pages will pay off, that's for sure."

"I know you can do it, I believe in you." Catra smiled fondly at them, a tear was already threatening to escape, but she -miraculously- held it in. She grew up in an environment where showing vulnerability was sign of weakness, and weakness was not tolerated. And even though she got out of there, those lessons were imprinted on her, like a scar, never disappearing.

"Ugh, just go inside. If I lose any more time I'm gonna be late." And just like that, she waited for them to enter the large building before turning around and leaving. However, she was stopped by a squeaky and annoying voice, at least for her.

"Catra, wait!" Of course, Sparkles. She stopped her steps, but didn't turn around. Catra already knew they were going to talk about Adora. She obviously was the type to express her feelings to other people.

"I don't want to get in the middle of this-"

"Then don't." She stated simply, coldly, and went on walking, but Glimmer wasn't satisfied with this, so she got in front of her, stopping her track once again.

"Don't you hurt Adora, got it? She's been through a lot and I don't want her to suffer again, so don't play with her feelings. I don't care how close you two might be, if you even dare to jeopardize her happiness I will dispose of you myself, do you understand?" Those words, those very few words, brought her back, opening old and deep wounds that hadn't been healed yet. They stung, Glimmer hit her right at the core, but she didn't show it.  
  
  


_"You insolent child! You can't even learn a simple fraction!" Shadow Weaver yelled at Catra. She was trying to help her with homework, but Catra couldn't quite understand them. Why would you ever need to separate numbers? It didn't make any sense. They had been sitting on the table for over an hour and the bottle of Bourbon was already halfway through._  
_The young child shuddered in fear when her mother swung the bottle left and right as she continued on yelling at her, the smell of alcohol invading the whole apartment._

_"I am done helping someone as worthless as you. I don't care if you have a test tomorrow, learn this yourself! And don't you dare to bring home a mediocre grade. If you do, I will dispose of you myself, do you understand?"_

_Catra studied all night alone and got and A- on that test... she had to clean up Shadow's Weaver mess the next day after the ducked the bottle of alcohol thrown at her. It wasn't enough, she was never enough._  
  
  


Catra maintained her composure, still not looking at Glimmer in the eyes.

"That's not my intention. Why would I ever do that? What happened last night won't be repeated again. I can't let it happen, I won't. Now, Sparkles, if you'll excuse me, I have a job to go to and I can't waste anymore time chit-chatting with you about stupid feelings that won't even..." She stopped, wondering if she should've continued. This was Finn's teacher and Adora's sister, not her friend. They were nothing. "whatever. It doesn't matter." And with those last words, she left, leaving Glimmer alone to think about their conversation. Feeling that won't even what? What was she going to say? _Reciprocated?_  
  
  


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Catra focused as hard as she could at the exam, but all the memories from the night before kept haunting her, trying to tell her something she couldn't quite understand, but it didn't matter. She was almost done with everything, only struggling with the essay question at the back. However, she was done in less than thirty minutes. All things considered, it was pretty easy. The graphs weren't difficult, and the calculations came easily to her mind. Maybe things were finally turning out the right way for her. She stood up and handed Double Trouble her sheet. They gave a look at the papers and then grinned at her in that weird way they always did, so creepy.

"Good job, kitten. I honestly thought you were going to leave unanswered the essay like Kyle did. Oh well, a lot of people can't seem to understand it. You may go now, I know how busy you must be with your girlfriend." It took Catra all her willpower to not punch them in the face, but she still managed to not lose control. Instead, the brunette forced a smile on her face and left the room with a slow and confident walk until she reached the elevator where Kyle was in. He wasn't exactly smart, or funny, but tolerable enough for Catra not to hate him.

"So did you finish the whole thing or you have to go somewhere?" He asked, stuttering a little. To say that he was intimidated by everyone was an understatement, the guy was even afraid of his own shadow.

"I have to go somewhere..." She replied, but then continued once she saw a glow in his eyes. He was probably hoping to have more chances at getting in, but boy was he _wrong_.

"But I finished the _whole_ thing too. You?"

"Yeah, I did everything." Well, now the conversation turned interesting. Double Trouble told her Kyle skipped something, but she doesn't remember which part exactly.

"How did you feel about the graphs?"

"Easy." Okay, so he didn't skip them. It was time for the next shot.

"I struggled a bit with the essay question on the back. What did you write?" Kyle's face turned pale as ever, the color completely drained out of his skin. _Bingo_ , that was what he missed.

"Essay question?" She smirked devilishly at him as the doors opened and started walking away from him.

"Yeah, at the back. I wrote almost three whole pages about it. See you around, Kyle."

Okay, maybe she enjoyed it a little too much for her liking, but come on now, it's _Kyle._  
When she set foot outside the building she noticed a way too familiar blonde standing in front of her Toyota. Catra quickly turned around but knew she was screwed the second she heard her name coming out of Adora's mouth.

"Catra, hold up!" She yelled as she caught up pretty quickly. Her hair was still up in that stupid ponytail and her face looked beautiful as ever. She was wearing a white tank top and basketball shorts, but damn in Catra's eyes she was just _perfect_.  
She was probably blushing, so she looked at the ground to avoid being busted in the act of crushing hard.

"Can we talk, please?" Adora's voice sounded so broken, so vulnerable. Who was she to put her in such pain? Catra remembered the conversation she had earlier with Glimmer that morning. She told her she had no intention of hurting Adora, and ignoring her put her in agony, so she accepted, even though she didn't want to.

"I kinda have to go to the hospital now..." Adora immediately worried and entered panic mode in less than a second. It truly was a reflex for her, worrying about other people.

"What?! Did something happen? Are you hurt? Do you need-"

"I'm donating blood. Maybe we can talk after that? It'll take probably an hour or something like that."

"Let me drive you there, please?" Catra eyed the car suspiciously and then looked at Adora with a questioning look. Immediately getting the hint, she reassured her. "We won't do anything, I swear. I'm pretty sure two adults can contain themselves, right?" Catra nodded slowly, secretly hoping to manage her instincts.

"You don't have to, y'know?" Adora rested her hands on Catra's shoulders. By now the physical contact felt normal, almost necessary for both of them. With or without kiss, Adora had always been touchy with her, and she didn't mind it that much, so she let her.

"I _want_ to. Besides, you'll be tired after and I can't have you wobble around the city to pick up Finn and then back home." There she was with that cocky attitude, Catra wanted to just kiss it away- slap it away, _slap_.

"Okay, first of all, I don't wobble. I've never been significantly tired. Second," She took a deep breath, already regretting accepting her offer. "thanks." At that the blonde's face softened and she smiled genuinely.

"Of course. Let's go."

───────────────────────────  
  


"Also, how did you know I'd be out early today?" Catra asked as she sat in a reclined chair, the sleeve of her white shirt already up, revealing her wrist on the armrest.

"Finn told me. They gave me permission to keep you company a little longer. I just... We really need to talk. I didn't know you'd be doing this, I'm sorry." In that moment the nurse inserted the sterilized needle in Catra's vein at the top of her forearm, but she barely noticed the intrusion.

"No need to be sorry, it's fine. Like I said, we can talk about it after I'm done here." She stated simply. Her head tilted to see how slowly the bag connected to the needle started filling up with her blood.

"Are you sure you'll be able to? I don't want to pressure you into anything."

"Adora, I'll be tired at most. I'll still be able to have coherent thoughts. Besides, Sparkles will have my head on a silver platter if we don't solve..." She pointed at the both of them a couple of times before continuing. "This."   
Adora chuckled awkwardly and sighed, burying her head between her large hands.

"Sorry about her, she can be so overprotective at times."

"It's cool. No hard feelings, really." Catra acted so civil, so polite, but Adora knew that was a facade. She was trying not to cause a scene in the middle of the hospital, but damn, all she wanted was to understand her. She was more enigmatic than a mystery and more confusing than a labyrinth. It drove her crazy.

"Finn's really protective over you too, you know? That's adorable, the bond you two have."

"Shut up Grayskull, I have a reputation to maintain." Adora playfully raised her hands in defeat, snatching a weak laugh by the brunette. _Finally_ , she thought.

"As you wish, Guerrero. So, how did your exam go?"

"I think it went well, honestly. Maybe I didn't have to study that much for it. Too easy."

"Maybe you found it that easy because you studied that much." Catra sighed and rested her head against the back of the chair with her eyes closed, starting to feel a bit tired. The bag was only halfway through.

"Good point." The blonde raised an eyebrow at her sleepy side, it was adorable. She knew she needed to keep her awake, so she kept on talking.

"It's really noble of you to donate blood, y'know? Do you do it regularly?"

"Once every three months. I'd like to do it more often but someone won't let me." The nurse rolled her eyes, this seemed to be a normal conversation between the two of them.

"It's the law. You wanna take it out on somebody? Take it out on them. You know I don't have the time -nor the patience- to discuss this again."

"I'm glad you donate blood so regularly. You have no idea on how many people are in need-" Catra interrupted Adora, massaging her forehead with her free hand. This time the blood loss hit her hard.

"Please, save me the speech. I don't need it. But thank you, I guess." Adora stayed quiet after that, catching up on her symptoms almost immediately.  
After they were done, they were brought in an observation area where Catra had to stay for about 15 minutes before being able to leave. Adora did her best to accommodate her by bringing her water and snacks to eat. The brunette hesitantly accepted the help, but she was too tired to actually argue.

"Do you need anything else? Would you like to lay down? I mean, that chair doesn't look that comfortable." She asked, about to stand up from the seat to go over the bar section again.

"Adora, I'm fine. Stop worrying. I'll be able to get up from here in a couple minutes and then we can go to my place and talk." Adora froze and stared at Catra with wide eyes. _What was she implying with going to her place?_ "We are not going to talk about it in here. I hate hospitals and I hate people. I promise we won't fuck. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to; I need a few hours before I can fully recover so throwing you on my bed is impossible at the moment." Oh wow, she chose to be really direct that day. Adora was blushing hard at the mere thought of Catra laying under her, moaning her name like she did the previous night. But she had to push all those thoughts aside.

"Besides, like you said: we are two adults completely able to contain themselves, right?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm gonna get you another bottle of water, just in case."  
  


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The whole ride home Catra stayed quiet, still too tired to actually talk. Adora started regretting her decision of talking that day, maybe they should've just rescheduled, she didn't want to exhaust her even more.

"Hey, are you sure you still want to talk? I'm totally fine with waiting a little more." She whispered once they were inside the apartment. She had to wait until Catra dropped herself on the couch to get a response.

"I'm pretty sure that you'll have to wait at least three other weeks before I'll actually have some free time. Like I said: I'm okay and I don't want Sparkles to eat me alive because of you. We're talking, _now_." Adora slowly nodded and sat on the floor, facing Catra.

"You start. What do _you_ want?" This was the moment she was going to tell her that she wanted to have a relationship with her, but couldn't wait for her to come around. She took a deep breath and finally let her thoughts out.

"I don't know." Well, this was definitely different from what she had spent the whole morning rehearsing for. Of course she had to screw everything up. "I-I mean, I really-"

"Look, it's fine. You kissed me because you were a bit tipsy, it can happen." Catra sounded so weak and vulnerable. Adora didn't know if it was because of recent events or because she actually cared about that kiss, but she decided to finally let out her feelings.

"What? No! I did drink, but I was fully conscious! I mean, I had to drive so I controlled myself and I am not a lightweight, so I did want to do it... What about you?" Catra's eyes widened for a split second. So Adora did want her after all. It was so weird having someone confess their desires for her. Catra's never had a girlfriend when she was younger, just occasional hookups that stopped when she took Finn in with her. Adora's words made her feel like she was actually special and not a fuckup for once in life.

"Me... I guess so? I just- I hadn't kissed someone in years and you were there and-"

"I was your first kiss in years? How embarrassing of you." Adora replied with her usual cockiness, making Catra stick her tongue out at her.

"Shut it. Listen, I know you probably want something serious but... I don't have enough time. I can't give you what you want, I wouldn't be able to give you attention. I have way too many things happening at once. Involving you in all of this would just hurt you. Honestly, you're pretty cool. I'd hate being the reason why you'd be sad." And in that moment, Adora realized she had to act quickly in order to savage the situation. It didn't matter what she had been thinking all morning, she realized she was _fine_ with having Catra in _any_ way. She _needed_ her in her life.

"Who said I want something serious?" Catra's tired eyes perked up as she straightened up her posture, _was Adora being serious in that moment?_

"So what do you want exactly? No strings attached, seriously?"

"Yes!" She replied, almost too enthusiastically. That was a fantastic idea for the time being. That meant they weren't in a relationship, but she could still have Catra in another way.

"Well... damn." The brunette directed her look to the floor. That certainly was an interesting proposal, but she still had to decline. There was no way they'd be able to do it with Finn in her life.

"But I don't think it'll be possible. Finn, they're-"

"Catra, do you even know how these things work?"

"Well, yeah! But-"

"It doesn't have to be scheduled. It's not a doctor's appointment. Whenever they're out of the house because they're out with friends or when you come home early and they're not here just... call me, okay? I'll be free whenever." Catra stared at her with a teasing smile. Perhaps she was interested in it.

"Don't you have a job, doc?"

"I decide my own priorities." Adora said, her voice low. _Wow_ , she really knew how to turn Catra on with just her voice. Suddenly the weakness left her body as she felt a bolt of electricity run through her spine.

"Let's say I accept. We need to make some rules."

"Whatever you want." Catra actually thought about it. What she liked, what she didn't like, her previous experiences. Point was: it all happened years ago, she was a different person now, what if she liked different things? But at least there was something that didn't change over the years.

"Rule number one: make it quick, we both have very tight schedules. We can't lose time with cuddles and all that stuff."

"Alright, if that's what you prefer then it's fine by me. Anything else?" Adora asked, she sounded hesitant, like she wasn't convinced to do this. That worried Catra, she couldn't force Adora to do this if she wasn't 100% sure.

"I have another rule, but I'll keep it for last since it'll be the most important for me. What about you?"

"I uh..." _Oh gosh_ , this conversation was so embarrassing to have, but necessary. She still couldn't believe it was happening, they were really going to be friends with benefits.

"I think we need to have a safe word in case one of us is uncomfortable."

"Cereal."

"Cereal?"

"Yeah, cereal. Unless you wanna use Lucky Charms, but it's a little too long for my liking." Adora laughed and Catra got butterflies all over her stomach because of it. She made her happy.

"Cereal it is then. Aside from that I'm fine with whatever. What was your last rule?"

"I don't take off my clothes." Adora looked up from the phone where she was already taking notes with a frowning face. "How do you want me to fuck you if you're wearing clothes?"

"I-" Catra cleared her throat in hopes to calm down, blush already creeping in her cheeks.

"I'll be the top." Well, this was going to be a problem. Adora had always been the top, she didn't know how to bottom, and she wasn't comfortable with abandoning her position.

"No, I'll be on top. It's pretty clear to me you're a bottom."

"Excuse me?"

"Last night you were extra clingy. I was the one guiding you. Also, you've been inactive for years, I'm the best candidate to top between the two of us." Catra undid the first two buttons of her white shirt and then crossed her arms over her chest, thinking for a solution. Adora wasn't completely right, but not exactly wrong either.

"Fine then. Don't touch or watch my back unless I'm wearing a shirt." Adora looked at her, there was something very deep about it that she didn't want to share, and she respected it.

"Can I... undo your shirt?" She asked shyly. Yes, the back was off-limits, but not the front.

"Like I said: the only thing that matters is that you don't watch or watch my back. The shirt is some kind of... protection."

"I won't do that." Catra looked back in her eyes, sadness replaced with relief.

"You promise?"

"I promise I won't do anything without your explicit consent."

"Good... good."

Neither of them had no idea on what to do right now. Would they start today with the deal or another day? They just stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughs.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this, it's been years." Adora raised her eyebrows playfully at her.

"You seriously need to get laid, even your boss said it."

"Please don't talk to me about them. They're seriously creepy sometimes." Another silence, another awkward moment. But then Adora slowly stood up from the floor to sit next to Catra, face looking hesitant.

"Do you- do you wanna... do it right now or...?" She actually thought about it. Her energy was almost back to normal and the headache was gone, but her left arm was still _weak_.

"I can't use my left arm, it's not as strong as it usually is." Adora started leaning in, but stopped herself when their foreheads were barely touching.

"You won't have to use it. What do you say?" At that moment all those years of inactivity showed themselves, making Catra extremely greedy for touch. " _Please._ " She begged, surprising herself on how needy she sounded. When their lips finally reconnected she released a sigh of relief. She felt so lightheaded in that moment, everything about the way Adora's hands held her hips made her quiver in anticipation.  
The kiss started out as low, but Catra couldn't take it anymore, she had been waiting for years for that moment.

* * *

"F-first rule." She whispered after Adora pulled away to concentrate on the right side of her neck.

"Catra, we could spend hours doing this today. I'm not gonna waste this opportunity. Just this time?" She wanted to protest, tell her that they were already breaking a rule on their first day, but when Adora bit her neck she lost track of her own reasoning.

"You're lucky today I'm in a good mood... Just this time." Her voice was now breathy, shaking, excited. Was it the long period of drought or Adora that made her feel like this?  
Catra's hands moved away from the nape of Adora's back to start unbuttoning the rest of her shirt, but Adora's hands stopped her.

"Your back?"

"Exactly, my back. Not my boobs..." She looked into her eyes, they were so full of worry and hesitation. That made her heart melt, Adora really was an _angel,_ always ready to protect her, not wanting her to get hurt.

"I...I trust you enough to not touch or watch there."

"I won't betray your trust."

"You better not." She warned in a dangerously low tone and then stood up from the couch. "I refuse to have sex on the couch, Finn spends a lot of time there. Let's go to my room."

"Y-Yes! Of course." Adora almost tripped on her feet as they made their way there by how nervous she was.

"Can you turn around please? I wanna take my bra off." Adora smiled sweetly at her lover and kissed her forehead before doing as told. She heard the rustling of clothes and then a sigh from Catra after her chest was finally free.

"You can turn around." The shirt was still on, but it didn't matter to Adora. Her sight immediately focused on the perky breasts and toned stomach. Catra was simply _perfect_. Adora approached her and touched them immediately. She was gentle at first, massaging them, but then her fingers started playing with the hardened nipples, causing Catra to hide her head on the crook of her neck with a shaky breath. She couldn't believe how aroused she became with a simple touch, but there she was, a painting mess between Adora's swift hands.

"Get on the bed." The blonde ordered, and she followed without hesitation. Adora climbed on top of her with a teasing smirk before leaving slow kisses across her whole face.

"Funny how you considered yourself to be a top. Look at you..." She kissed under her cheek. "You're a mess, and we haven't even started yet." And then Catra felt a gentle nibble on her ear, making her moan her name out loud. As instinct, she covered her mouth with her hand, but Adora pushed it away.

"I want to hear you. There's no one else here beside from you and I. You'll be fine." Adora's lips finally started descending until they reached her left breast. Catra's hands immediately fell on her head, guiding her to the nipple, but she resisted.

"Patience, Catra. You need to behave with me."

"Or what?" She wanted to sound confident, she really did, but the question made her seem fearful of the possible consequences.

"You don't wanna find out. You can lie and tell me you can finish the job alone but..." Her tongue finally met the sensitive nub, only to abandon it after a second. "We both know you need me. It's no secret." Catra actually squealed at that contact. The sound made her want to crawl in a hole and just hide from the entire world. She had never been loud before, _ever_. But this seemed to turn Adora on even more as she groaned lowly.

"Hey, relax. Okay? We're just getting started here. Stop being so tense and let me guide you." She whispered as she took her tank top off and tossed it away, it didn't matter where. She still had a warm a reassuring smile on her face to calm Catra down. Her muscles were extremely stiff, unfamiliar to the way she touched her. But it seemed Adora's words worked on her, she was visibly calmer, although she was internally freaking out.

Adora went back to kissing Catra's flat stomach slowly, teasingly. She really enjoyed taking her time.  
Catra was already about to fall apart under those hot touches. She knew she was already soaked the moment Adora laid her lips on hers when they were on the couch. She hated her own body for betraying her like this. _How could she let her take the upper hand so easily?_ She had to fight back. So when Adora had finished unzipping her pants she brought her lips back up to hers and took advantage of Adora's distraction to flip them over.

She smirked down at the blonde when she moved a knee to press against her core. Adora reacted with a strangled moan and by tugging at Catra's long curls, pulling their faces further away.

"Looks like you're mine now Adora." She whispered lowly before taking her basketball shorts off along with the underwear. She wanted to dominate her, at least that's what she thought at the moment. She then slipped away from her own pants and went back to their previous position, driving Adora crazy once again.

Catra kissed her neck -careful not to draw any blood- and pressed her thigh against Adora, making her moan loudly. Adora immediately arched her hips up and down repeatedly. Catra didn't do anything, _two could play the teasing game_ , so she only smirked. But Adora didn't mind, she kept on grinding herself, making Catra weaker with each second passing by making her feel how wet she was for her.

When she felt herself coming closer to her climax, she gave Catra a weak smirk and intentionally bended her leg so that she could return her a taste of her own medicine. She let out Adora's name out of her mouth in response. Catra's left arm was too weak and surrendered, making her fall on top of her, bringing their bodies even closer to one another. The blonde wrapped one arm around her hips and the other behind her head, whispering sweet nothings as she finally fell apart after feeling how damp Catra was against her leg through her underwear. Her counterpart kissed her lips slowly as she rode out her high, until Adora's hips plopped down to the bed.

"I think it's safe to say I'm the top." Those words, those _damned_ words were her sentence to be fucked into oblivion.  
Adora didn't even need to catch her breath before she flipped them over with extreme ease. She sat on her knees, admiring her beauty and wondering how her face would've looked when she came undone under her arms.

"You cheated, you distracted me." She said, her tone accusatory. In the meanwhile her left hand rested on the waistband of her black underwear, threatening to take it off. All of this while the other hand was busy massaging Catra's left arm. She knew she had strained it too much by resting on her elbows when she was on top of her, truly a stupid move.

"Don't act like you didn't love every second of it." Catra's voice came out as tired, but the attitude was still there.

"You know, I would've appreciated if you told me you were a bratty bottom from the beginning. I would've prepared myself a little better to deal with you."

"Sorry to break it down to you but you can't-" Catra gasped audibly when she pressed two digits against her underwear, taking her by surprise.

"Cat got your tongue?" Adora asked smugly. She loved seeing Catra struggle to make coherent sentences, it satisfied her.

"I can't believe you're this wet already. I've barely touched you." The brunette whined and arched her hips up only to have them pinned down by her. "So impatient. What should I do with you?"

"Adora..." Catra said warningly, but then her tone softened as she looked away from her, not wanting to see her reaction. "Please." She finally begged. Adora seemed satisfied with it, so much so that she freed her of her panties, finally revealing her.

"Hands or tongue?" She asked with kindness, breaking the bliss of the moment to do what Catra pleased.

"Hands first." The blonde didn't hesitate and started another passionate kiss to get her partner in the mood. She then cupped Catra's core with her hand, earning a soft gasp that allowed her to slip the tongue inside her mouth.

The stimulus got too overwhelming for Catra when her hand started flicking her clit at a slow place first, only to speed up as time passed. She desperately wrapped her legs around Adora's hips, craving for some kind of friction. The other woman chuckled at her thirst and finally inserted a finger inside of her.  
Catra almost fell apart right then, but contained herself. It was already embarrassing enough to have been dominated this easily, if she came that early she was sure Adora would've teased her about it for the rest of their lives.

Adora kept a steady pace, switching from kissing the lips to the neck. She desired to leave a mark on her so much, show everyone that they were doing but they had to be discreet about it, so she had to contain herself.

Catra was tight, but when she inserted a second finger she met no resistance, instead, her walls spasmed repeatedly while Catra hid her face in the crook of her neck as she easily reached her apex with a loud scream of her name.  
Adora held her close and waited until she finished riding out her orgasm before smirking down at her red face.

"Been feeling lonely I see." Catra closed her eyes shut and whined once Adora curled her fingers up, still inside of her. The blonde raised an eyebrow questioningly before realizing she needed _more_ to be fully satisfied.

"Hey, I've got you. Don't worry." Adora pulled out carefully, earning another gasp from Catra. _She really needs this_ , she thought to herself as she positioned her face between her legs.  
Catra's trembling limbs found Adora's broad shoulders and laid there. She knew what was going to happen, but her body couldn't quite register it until the first lick happened. In that moment her hands flew to Adora's head, gently guiding her.

The blonde switched before circling motions against her clit and sucking, slowly driving her more insane with each passing second. Adora's low growls sent goosebumps all over her skin.

Catra was enjoying this more than any good thing she had experienced in all her twenty-three years of life.  
Adora knew all the right spots and the right rhythm to make her come undone twice in a matter of a few minutes.  
The second climax was more enjoyable, it wasn't rushed or craved like the first, it just... happened.

Adora happily licked her clean, tasting her sweet flavor with a smile. When she sat up she found the other woman completely wrecked. Her eyes were closed shut and her chest moved rapidly, but there was a faint smile on her face.

* * *

"You okay?" She asked, and Catra only hummed, still not able to talk. That made Adora chuckle at how adorable she was.

"Let's get you another shirt. I don't want Finn to find you with your tits out when they come back." She whispered, lying next to the tired woman.  
Catra's burst of energy totally disappeared and was replaced by the tiredness of her blood donation, that's why it took her several minutes to choke out a coherent sentence.

"Adora, can you tell Sparkles we've decided to only stay friends?"

"Oh, for sure. She can't find out about this. She'd have our heads on a silver platter in a matter of seconds."

"Good good..." She gulped, her dry throat made it harder for her to concentrate to form another coherent sentence, so she mumbled out a single word. "Thanks."

Adora softly kissed her forehead and stood up from the bed, looking for her clothes. "Anytime. Now I have to go or they'll get seriously suspicious over me. I'll bring Finn back here. In the meanwhile you should probably shower and change, you smell like sex." But she only groaned in response, making Adora wonder if this was real life or a _fantasy sex paradise._


	7. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, NSFW content. You can skip those parts when you see * * * at the begging and end of them. Hope you enjoy !!

* * *

Catra opened the door as she heard the distinctive three knocks and saw Adora standing right in front of it with her usual dorky smile. As soon as their eyes met she dragged the blonde inside and locked the door immediately, not wanting to waste any time. They had twenty minutes at most. It was all Adora's fault, she just had to take thirty minutes to drive up to her instead of her usual five.

"Hey sorry I was late, but I brought you some-!" Catra looked at the paper bag she was holding and carelessly laid it on the round dining table for two before kissing her lips hungrily.

Ever since that day they've done it countless times in a matter of two weeks, taking advantage of whenever Finn was out with their friends or studying at the local library. It wasn't that hard, Catra would send Adora a message and she would come instantly like a dog called by their owner, but the roles were completely inverted in the bedroom; Adora was the one in control, ordering around, and although she protested, Catra couldn't help herself and followed instructions, wanting to reach the apex as fast as possible.

"Tomorrow is your last day of the internship. How are you feeling about it?" Adora asked once they pulled apart so she could take her shirt and bra off in one swift emotion. Catra groaned in response and reconnected their bodies again. After so many years she had finally rediscovered the pleasure of having sex, and she wasn't going to waste any of that time to discuss work.

"Less talking, more action." She requested as they made their way to her bedroom. Adora's hands on her hips and Catra's on her neck, pulling them closer. It wasn't convenient since they tripped multiple times, but they couldn't help themselves, they _needed_ to be close.

Since she was tired of that game, Adora placed her hands under Catra's thighs and picked her up with ease, still not breaking the kiss. This excited the other woman even more, causing her to moan mid-kiss. This was the perfect opportunity to tease her for how horny she was.

"Someone's-"

"Cállate." Catra always did that when she was too lost in lust. At a certain point she couldn't care less about the language she was speaking in, and just let her mouth wander freely with no restrictions. Adora didn't understand shit, but she didn't feel like ruining the moment by asking what she said, she'd just go on google translate later.

They were on the bed, Adora on top of Catra, her hands roaming south as she left butterfly kisses on her neck, trying to keep her on the edge at all times.  
She was ready to take Catra's shorts and underwear off but she found nothing. She thought they were covered by her extremely long shirt, but she was totally naked down there and ready to be fucked.

"You... you're wearing _nothing_." The brunette huffed and wiggled her hips, signaling for Adora to start her job.

"No shit Sherlock. Since you were taking so long I had to start taking care of myself alone." Adora's eyes darkened dangerously and roughly pushed one finger in. Catra wasn't lying, she recognized that the wetness had been there for a while -before her- and that thought infuriated her.

"Are you underestimating me? I can make you cum in less than five minutes." She whispered in her ear, slowly pumping in so Catra could adjust to the finger that was knuckle-deep inside of her.

"I doubt it." She barely chocked out, wrapping both her arms on Adora's back, holding on to it as if it was her only salvation.

"Is that a challenge?" And then she added another finger without a warning, almost making her yelp in surprise if it weren't for Catra biting her own lower lip to contain herself. Adora kept going, not stopping, not checking in, she didn't have to. Catra was no mystery for her in the bedroom, all that though facade was gone as soon as she was in her arms.

"You are so gorgeous, you know that?" Adora asked, kissing her forehead lovingly. Catra moaned in response. Adora was so good to her, so nice, so generous; She somehow felt in debt.

Once her moans and growls became incredibly loud, Adora inserted a third finger, making Catra cum once again. Her longs nails drew blood on her back by how intense the moment was for her. It was always like this: her falling apart with no restraint or control over her overwhelmed body. Being finally sexually active brought her a necessity to feel relieved by Adora as often as she could.

"It took me three minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I won." Adora said with her usual cocky smile as she plopped down next to her. Catra chuckled as she recovered her breath, a bit tired.

"Shut up. Doesn't matter, I was already worked up." She whispered, kissing Adora's lips so casually, as if they were a couple instead of friends with benefits.

"Hey, can I return the favor?" She asked with a shy smile, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind Adora's ear to admire her beautiful face. Those big blue eyes and bow-shaped lips drove her absolutely crazy along with the chiseled jawline that she loved kissing so much.

* * *

"Nah, I'm good. I wanted to make today about you. Consider this as a gift for tomorrow." Adora said whilst embracing her, drawing circles behind her back lazily, applying no pressure. Even though Catra told her she could touch it if she wore a shirt, she didn't want to risk it, so she stuck with gentle brushes of her fingers.

"I don't even know if I got the job yet."

"That doesn't matter. I'm proud of you either way Catra. You've worked really hard and it's time someone recognized it." The brunette didn't mean for this conversation to get emotional, so she decided to make a joke out of it. It was the simplest way to change subject of discussion.

"Oh so you recognized my hard work and rewarded me with a fuck? How sweet of you." Adora suddenly got up without saying a word, but the smug smile was still present on her face.

"Coming back in a sec, just wait here." And so she did. But when she entered the room she was wearing her shirt and carried the paper bag with her. Now that she was sexually satisfied, Catra noticed the sweet smell coming out of it.

"You went to Razz's?" She asked enthusiastically, sitting up once Adora handed her a bagel.

"Yeah, I know how hungry you get after... y'know, so I wanted to grab you a snack. Unfortunately, Razz kept talking for fifteen long minutes. I like her, but I wanted to come here as soon as possible." Adora pulled out of the bag a grilled sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "I also got Finn a chocolate chip muffin, you told me it's their favorite." Catra remained silent for a while, thinking about how amazing Adora was. She really remembered all the little things she told her in their casual conversations and got them for her, as if it was something totally _normal_ for them. How was she supposed to not _fall_ for Adora? She was beautiful, kind, amazing. This pained Catra's heart, it was not supposed to happen. Why were things changing so much and so quickly?

"Hello? Earth to Catra. You still there?"

"You don't have to do this, y'know? Being this kind, I mean. It's not like I'm going to stop having sex with you if you don't give me nice things anymore." Adora seemed surprised by that, usually everyone kept her around because of her giving nature. She was used to giving gifts in order to be liked by people, that was how it _always_ worked, but not with Catra apparently.

"I— I know!" She stammered, fidgeting nervously with her hands as she thought on how to continue without revealing her -obvious- crush for the petite woman.

"But we're not only fuck buddies, right? We're friends with benefits a-and in that there's the word 'friends'..."

"Woah, you're so smart. Keep talking, it's so hot." Catra said jokingly as she took another bite of that delicious bagel.

"P-Point is: we're friends." _We're friends but I really like you._

"I like doing nice things, especially for my friends. I hope that's okay with you." The brunette blushed intensely; It was the first time someone had ever said such kind words to her aside from Scorpia, but she was like that with everyone while Adora did that especially with friends. She considered Catra as her friend instead of just someone to fuck. It felt... nice.  
She scratched the back of her neck, looking out the window.

"Next time I'll get you something too, what do you want? Another grilled cheese sandwich? Cake? Brownies?" Adora hummed contently, thinking about the offer for a few seconds until her mind wandered to a few months prior.

"Can I have arepas?" She asked as she brought her face closer to hers with puppy eyes, making Catra internally panic by their proximity. It didn't matter how many times they had slept together, some intimate actions still felt bizarre for her.

"Y-Yeah. You you you can..." Catra cleared her throat, gaining composure back. "I'll make you three. You know, for Sparkles and Arrow Boy."

"You promise?" Why did Adora have to be so damn adorable and hot at the same time? It wasn't fair.

"Yeah dummy, I promise. Now, I'd like to finish my bagel so can you back off? Your face is basically glued to mine." She replied sassily, faking to be actually annoyed by her when all she wanted to actually do was kiss those rosy lips of hers.  
Adora giggled and left a peck on Catra's nose before acting up on her request.

"Hey, I know I didn't do much for aftercare today, but-"

"You brought me food dude, that's more than enough for me."

"That's great. But I really have to go now. I kinda have a thing to do now." Something in the air shifted, Adora could feel it, but the reason was unknown to her.

"Then go. Finn is gonna be here in ten minutes anyway." Catra's words were direct, and cold. _Why was she acting so distant all of the sudden?_ It didn't make any sense.

"Of course. You can just tell them I dropped by for a quick visit."

"Sure." She didn't know why, but Catra felt _abandoned_ by Adora in that moment. It was so stupid, they weren't even a couple to begin with.

"Good luck for tomorrow." Adora tried again, but still got pushed away.

"Yeah fine, whatever." She really wanted to stay, but she was already too late for her other commitment, so she left without saying another word.  
  


───────────────────────────  
  
  


At last, the last day. To say Catra was nervous was an absolute understatement. Double Trouble kept on calling the interns one by one to talk in private and each time they left the room in tears. She knew it was her turn when they sat on top of her desk with their usual sinister smile.

"Kitten, it's _your_ turn now." From that moment on all of her hopes crushed. There were three other people in there -including Kyle-, usually the last one to be called was the one who got job, so it definitely wasn't her.  
She sighed and followed them, fully resigned to the fact that she had wasted three months of her life for nothing. Her heart broke just imagining Finn's reaction at her failure. She wouldn't have blamed them for hating her, ruining the only chance they had for a better life.  
Catra sat down at the same spot where she first was introduced to all the important people in the company, Huntara looking as serious as ever.

"Hello, Guerrero."

"Ms. Huntara, good to see you."

"Nice jacket." She pointed out, making a reference to the first time they had met. This time Catra wore a tuxedo and her hair was slicked back.

"Thank you, ma'am. I thought I'd wear this today. You know, being the last day and all."

"Well, thank you. Thank you. We appreciate that. But..." There it was, the moment that would confirm all of her doubts. Catra wasn't sweating, but _damn_ was it hot in there. "...wear one tomorrow though, okay? Because tomorrow's going to be your first day, if you'd like to work here as a broker. Would you like that, Catra?" She felt like crying, and she did it. Everything was going to change from there. She could save up money for Finn's college, they could find a better place to live in. They'd have a better chance in life now.  
Catra still sat straight, trying to stay professional, but the tears did slip through her cheeks.

"Yes, ma'am." She chocked out. Talking was so much harder, but she still managed.

"Good. We couldn't be happier. So welcome."

"Was it as easy as it looked?" Double Trouble asked, they were finally giving her a genuine smile and not one of those creepy ones.

"No, mx. No, mx, it wasn't." She stood up and carefully shook hands with everyone in the room. They all were so relaxed, not knowing how much they'd changed the course of her life.

"Good luck, Catra." Was the last thing she heard from Huntara before she stepped out of the building, finally breaking down. All the loud noises of the city became almost nonexistent to her obfuscated mind as she clung to a tree trunk just so she wouldn't fall to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably out of happiness. All the people passing through, it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered.  
  


───────────────────────────  
  


Adora stood in front the huge structure, waiting for Catra to come out, but she was not alone.  
Scorpia came up with the idea of doing a small gathering for her best friend and invited her, but of course Adora wanted to make sure everything was _perfect_ for Catra, so she ended up organizing for all of them to go celebrate in a club and also ordered the cake Scorpia was currently holding.  
The guest list wasn't that long actually: Scorpia, Perfuma, Mermista, Sea Hawk, Glimmer, Bow, herself and Lonnie, whom she didn't know. She was one of Catra's coworkers of the night shift at the grocery store.  
Finn was with them at the moment, but they'd sleep over at Frosta's that night.  
It was around 7pm when they saw Catra, a trembling and crying mess leaning on a tree, a wide smile on her face.

Finn immediately ran up to her and hugged her tightly, catching her by surprise.  
The woman gasped and immediately wrapped her arms around them. She didn't have to say anything in order for them to understand what had just happened.

"I love you, Cat." Finn said. Public displays of affection weren't really their thing, but in that moment they just wanted their sister to just be happy, so it didn't matter. When they broke the hug the preteen wiped her tears away and took her hands in theirs, guiding her.

"Come on, I have something to show you." Catra followed without hesitation, her brain still processing what had just happened. She didn't even wonder how Finn got there in the first place until she noticed all of her coworkers, Adora, her roommates and Scorpia reunited. Her best friend jogged on the spot excitedly as they approached.

"Wildcat! Please tell me those are tears of joy and you got the job!" Catra wiped the salty water away from her face and nodded vigorously, causing everyone to cheer for her. Of course, Scorpia had to lift her up the ground -leaving Perfuma to hold the cake- and hug her. Her lungs were quickly left out of air and she was pretty sure something inside of her cracked, but at that point it was something normal.

"Scorpia... air." Catra chocked out and was immediately released, finally able to breathe. Seeing all these people reunited for her warmed her heart immensely, but she had to stop crying, it was getting _pathetic_ at that point.  
Her eyes then caught a glimpse of Glimmer and she smiled devilishly at her.

"Don't think I did this for you, Finn convinced Bow to come and then they both dragged me here, along with Adora." Catra spared a quick glance at the blonde before returning her attention to the short girl.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from you, Glimmer." The teacher's eyes widened at being called by her first name. This had never happened before. Could it be that maybe they'd become friends?

"Anyway, you're not eating that cake." Yeah, forget that. She was still an asshole.

"I wasn't planning on it."

───────────────────────────

The group of adults headed to the Crimson Waste's night club. Everyone was dancing and drinking, everyone _except_ for Catra. She could barely handle the smell of alcohol, let alone be surrounded by people intoxicated by it, so she asked for her third glass of water at the counter. Scorpia noticed her behavior and approached her best friend.

"Wildcat! Come on, stand up. Let's hit the dancefloor." She proposed, resting her hand behind her back. Catra jumped at the touch, glaring at the taller woman.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot. I'll be more careful next time." She said and took a few steps back.

"Come on, why don't we go have some fun? Relax a little. After all you deserve it."

"I'm kinda tired right now. Just give me a few minutes, please? I promise I'll join you guys later on."

"You've been sitting here for four hours." Catra let out a yawn and took another gulp of water. Scorpia was right, they all gathered because of her.

"Okay then, make it two minutes."

"Deal?

"Deal." As Scorpia left, she felt another presence next to her, it was Lonnie.  
  


Adora watched Catra across the room, intrigued. She didn't feel like disturbing her, but she also didn't feel like leaving alone either. She was about to leave an intoxicated Glimmer and Bow alone when Scorpia had already approached her lover before her. The blonde scoffed and looked over at Perfuma, she seemed to be pissed off too.

"Why so mad?" She asked, her eyes still fixated on the two best friends talking. They seemed to be very, _very_ close.

"Scorpia and Catra." The tall woman mumbled as she glared at her girlfriend, a bottle of root beer in her left hand; She was definitely drunk.

"You jealous?" Adora asked, immediately knowing how Perfuma felt. The only difference was that Perfuma had a reason to be while she didn't. Catra and her were _not_ in a relationship, they just had sex occasionally.

"It's dumb, but I get insecure." Adora raised an eyebrow, ready to catch up on the info she was going to drop on her.

"Scorpia had a big crush on Catra. I don't know if it was ever reciprocated though." Well, that certainly did not help Adora's irrational jealousy. She knew her face must've been red by now. _Okay, calm down_ , she repeated to herself multiple times. They were just best friends, not a pairing.

"We've been together for years now but sometimes I can't help it and I just- Ugh!" Perfuma burst out crying out of nowhere. Adora didn't know what to do. Thankfully Scorpia ran to the rescue and immediately hugged her tightly.

"What happened?!"

"Don't leave me alone ever again!" Adora chuckled nervously and shrugged at her, not really knowing what to tell her aside from "She's drunk". Then Scorpia's face became pale as she looked back over Catra and Lonnie.

"Oh no, this is really bad." She whispered to herself. Adora's protective instincts kicked in and she entered alert mode.

"Wh-what what? What's really bad?"

"Lonnie and Catra, talking, alone." Again, she waited for answers. "They kinda... had a thing?"

"What?! I thought Catra wasn't the type for relationships."

"She isn't. They just liked each other but it never went past that. Lonnie always tried to convince her to go out on a date at least once but she always said no." Adora laughed nervously, trying to maintain her calm. Why did everyone have a crush on Catra? Scorpia, Lonnie and even Glimmer found her attractive. In that moment she cursed herself for inviting Lonnie despite Scorpia's request not to. In her defense, she'd never thought they had a significant backstory, just imagined them as simple co-workers.

"One day Catra really got mad at her and oh boy did things get ugly. Words were thrown around and they haven't really talked since then. When they do talk, they always end up fighting. Should I do something?"

"Noo, stay here!"

"Don't worry, I've got it." Adora said as calmly as she could although her insides were burning with passion and rage. Couldn't Lonnie get the hint and back off instead of insisting?  
  


"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being an ass."

"And you had to wait for me to quit the job to say that?" Catra said sarcastically. Lonnie was blackout drunk, but why not have fun with that? After all she would get a ride home with Mermista and her boyfriend Sea Hawk, she was safe.

"Come ooonn now, I wanna end things on a good note! What do ya say? Shall weee.... let this aalll behind?"

"Sure, whatever, I guess." Catra then felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. It was the first time she and Adora interacted that night, _about damn time_.

"Is everything all right over here?" She asked with a whisper on her ear. The brunette spared one last glance at Lonnie, she was drinking another mojito, and chuckled.

"Just Lonnie being wasted. She gets quite emotional."

"Yeah, everyone by now is pretty much drunk. Maybe we should all go home. You look pretty tired."

"Hey! Hands off my girlfriend!"

"Here we go again..." Catra rolled her eyes playfully and grabbed Adora by the arm. The blonde tried not to smile, but it was almost impossible. They were talking and touching, finally.

"Let's just go. I'm not really in the mood to argue right now. Call Bow and Sparkles and tell them we're leaving."

  
  
───────────────────────────

"Oh my gosh! You are so smart!" Glimmer said to Catra as they sat on the backseats on their way home. She soon discovered that the short woman could get touchy with people, thing she did not like.

"I bet you got the job because you're basically a human calculator. I've seen you interact with people and you're _very_ socially awkward!"

"Sparkles, get off my face." Catra growled dangerously and then the car stopped abruptly, making Glimmer jump back to her seat.

"What the hell?" She yelled at her sister, only getting a harsh glare from the rear view mirror from the sober driver.

"We've arrived." Adora announced, this time there was a smile on her face as she looked at Catra.

"You sure you'll be fine with those two?" She asked. Bow was snoring loudly and Glimmer kept touching her curly hair, giggling like a little child.

"Yeah, totally! Don't worry. Have a good night!"

"Yeah, you too."

───────────────────────────

Catra yawned. The day was finally over. Tomorrow a new life would start; No more working multiple jobs at once, no more putting out the fire that Sea Hawk would cause in the kitchen when he tried to cook, no more working with Lonnie and most importantly: finally getting eight hours of sleep at night and spending more time with Finn.  
She was ready to get into bed with her button-up pajamas until her doorbell rang. Who could it be? It's 2am, she thought to herself as she went to open the door, not expecting Adora to stand behind it.

"Please let me stay here. They threw up on the couch and my bed. I'll take the floor, but I can't sleep there, I beg of you!" She was so desperate; the smell of vomit was unbearable for her. Adora barely managed to make sure her roommates changed into comfier clothes before storming out of their apartment and heading there.

"I honestly don't even want to know the details, just get in before I change my mind. You can sleep wherever you want, I don't care." Catra wanted to invite her to sleep with her, _but that would've been weird, right?_ They were _just_ friends with benefits.

"Catra." Adora said once she was inside. This time her tone was more serious, possessive.

"What's up?" The blonde got dangerously close to her, resting her hands on Catra's waist. Their foreheads touched and the brunette could smell the minty breath coming out of Adora's lips.

"How tired are you?" She asked, her hands wandered across the sides of her body, avoiding any sensitive areas. She didn't want to corrupt Catra with hot touches to convince to have sex, _she didn't have to._

"I- I think I... have enough energy left for you." She stammered, hating how shy she became in moments like that. Glimmer was right, she _was_ socially awkward.

"Do I have your full consent?"

"Absolutely."

"You did not drink, did you?"

"No, you?"

"My lips didn't touch a single drop of alcohol tonight. Perhaps they could touch yours instead?" Always so damn smooth. How could Adora be so weird in normal contexts but act like that when they were alone? It didn't make any sense. But thinking about it, it _totally_ did. Catra was just like that too, but the roles were reversed.

"If you ever try to use another pickup line on me then we're over."

"You're acting as if you aren't blushing right now." At that point Catra couldn't take it anymore and closed the gap between them. Prolonging the argument was just useless.

Adora wasted no time on asserting her dominance through the kiss. She started it slow and refused to give in when Catra licked her lips eagerly. She wanted to make sure she'd never forget her, make her loose her mind over her. She wanted her to forget about Lonnie and Scorpia and any of her crushes. She wanted to be the only one.

* * *

Catra whined in desperation as Adora pulled her closer, her hands carefully on her back. The blonde smiled through the kiss and finally gave her what she was craving for. They slowly made their way over Catra's bedroom. Adora knew the road by heart and could reach it with her eyes closed at that point by how many times she had done it already. She then pulled away to take her own shirt off while Catra unbuttoned hers. The brunette stopped her tracks after she was done, fidgeting with the button on top, wondering.

"Hey, is everything okay? We can stop if you want." Adora said out of reflex. The last thing she wanted was to pressure her into doing something she didn't want to do.

"Yeah, I just... I wanna try something."

"Of course, anything you want! I'm fine with-"

"This ain't a sexual thing I'm talking about. I'm not planning on using a strap-on on you. I... please respect our last rule?" Adora slowly nodded, not really knowing what Catra had in mind until she started slipping her shirt off. She immediately stopped her.

"Hey hey hey. I don't want you to do this if you're not totally sure about it. I'll always respect the last rule, I promise. But if you're not a hundred percent comfortable with doing this then-"

"Will you just shut up? I am sure about it, it's just... new. That's all. I've never done it without something on, okay?" Adora stayed quiet, a faint smile on her face as she sweetly kissed Catra's neck.

"Thank you for trusting me enough with this." The other woman just moaned in response, unable to reply once Adora squeezed her ass with both hands.

Their lips reconnected once again and that time they made it to the bed, the brunette still under the blonde's arms. Adora smiled through the kiss and slowly moved her hand south until she reached Catra's aching core. Her finger just circled around, teasing her mercilessly as she moved her hips up and down, desperate for friction.

"Someone's eager."

"Someone's feeling like being a damn tease and ignoring our first rule." Adora chuckled and gently nibbled at Catra's ear, making her go feral. She reacted with a loud moan. She knew she couldn't take it any longer, so she finally slipped one finger in.  
Knowing she had the power to make Catra become this obedient, this wet, it turned her on. She slowly pumped in, _too slowly._

"More."

"Say the word." Adora requested with a smug smile, looking at her right in the eyes, challenging her.

"Fuck you." _Snap_. She went knuckle deep and curled her digit up, hitting just the right spot to make her stop being a brat.

"Pl-please. Ah!" She finally begged, and Adora obliged, adding a second finger.

"See? It wasn't that hard." Adora whispered and kissed her once again, muffling all the beautiful sounds that came out of her mouth.  
She kept going at a steady place, circling around the clit for more pleasure. Catra couldn't take it any longer, she was so close to release.

"I'm about to...to- Ah!" She couldn't finish the sentence because of all the moans and growls she let out.

"Say my name Catra, _say it_." Adora ordered as she added a third finger, finally making her reach the _oh_ so awaited climax.

"Adora!" Catra yelled as she came with her face hidden in the crook of her neck, not wanting her to see how pathetic she must've looked in that moment. So fragile and vulnerable, _just for her_.

"You did so good. I'm proud of you. You're perfect Catra." She held onto Adora's back, wrapping her limbs around her, needing someone to hold on to as she rode down her high.

Adora watched mesmerized, each time she noticed a new detail about the way Catra reacted to her touches and words and took mental notes of it. This time she shook her head left and right before screaming her name, almost debating on it.

* * *

"You okay?" Adora asked with a giggle as she laid next to the panting mess. The button up was already in her hands, ready to hand it back to the owner once she was conscious enough.

"Best day ever." Catra finally admitted. She had never been that happy, _ever_. The day had gone pretty well on its own, but this was the cherry on top of the cake.

"Here's your shirt. You can put it back when I'll leave." The blonde said as she started standing up from the bed, but was quickly stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"Hey, how about we sleep... together? The couch is pretty uncomfortable." Adora could've sworn her heart missed a beat at those words. She was ecstatic to the idea of sleeping with such a wonderful being, so she eagerly agreed by kissing her lips.

"I'd love to. Let me just turn around for a bit so you can put the shirt back on." She sat up, her back facing the brunette, whom just bothered to wear the cloth again and not button in, leaving her chest still exposed. "Do you wanna be the big spoon or the little one?" Adora asked as she waited patiently for Catra to be done.

"I am a knife!"

"Little spoon it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo... yeah Catra is quite the heartbreaker but come on now what did you expect from her? Also jealous Adora is a blessing and I love her so lmk if you want more of her in this fic. 
> 
> Btw follow me on twitter @briniwoodmaker where I'll post sneak peeks in advance :)


	8. Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: panic attacks.

It was Finn's 13th birthday, the sun was glowing bright on that 16th April at 10am.  
The kid woke up excitedly and found a huge feast of food when they walked up to the living room.

"Happy birthday!" Catra said excitedly to them, holding a chocolate chip muffin with a lit up candle, their favorite.

"Thanks Cat!" They blew it off and set the muffin on the table to hug her. Catra immediately wrapped her arms around them, squeezing them tight.

"I can't believe how fast you're growing up. Just look at you." She took a step back and rested her hands on their shoulder.

"You're almost as tall as me now." Catra said, containing her tears. She didn't know why she was this emotional, maybe because she felt like a proud parent. It seemed almost yesterday when she first held them in her arms —Finn was just a baby while she was eleven — and now there they were, almost surpassing her in height when only a few months earlier she could still rest her head above theirs.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't take a lot to do that. You're not that tall... you're 5'2." Catra didn't say anything. Just looked at Finn dead in the eyes until she splat the cupcake on their face.

"Okay, rude!" They wiped it off, but didn't miss the chance to taste it.

"You made this?" They asked while pointing at the table.

"Your expectations are a little bit too high. I ordered all of it. All your favorite foods. Just for you." Catra hugged them again, smiling widely. Finally being able to afford things without the constant worry of being able to pay rent was a huge relief for her.

"So, who did you invite to your birthday party?"

"Actually, just Frosta. My other friends are loud and obnoxious. I'd like to take a day off from them." Catra smirked devilishly at them, it was her turn to tease them.

"Frosta, huh? You know, I have a feeling you've been getting pretty close lately."

"She's my best friend." They replied simply, opening up a can of dr. Pepper's soda and taking a sip of it.

"I mean, you're always talking about her, hanging out together... Does my little sibling have a crush?" She expected them to freak out, blush, anything. But the smirked back at her.

"No, I don't. How about we invite Adora too?" Well, Catra did freak out, but internally. She did _not_ have a crush on Adora, and even if she did, it was nothing too serious. Sure, she was smart, tall and kind, but she had already made it clear she didn't want a relationship with Catra when she proposed to be friends with benefits. That really screamed _"I don't like you like that"_ and "I _just want you for your body."_ very loud and clear, at least for Catra.

"W-why?"

"I want Perfuma and Scorpia here too. Mermista and Seahawk are pretty cool as well... Can we also have Mr. Bow and Ms. Glimmer here?"

"You want your teachers at your birthday party? Nerd."

"Don't act like you wouldn't have fun with all of them here... especially Adora." Catra groaned and stuck her tongue out at them, starting to lose her patience.

"Will you cut it out?"

"Not until you'll ask her out on a date. Come on, now that you have normal working hours you totally have time to date. I'm a grown up now, I can take care of myself."

"You're thirteen, you're barely a teenager."

"And you're barely an adult." They spat back while waving the can back and forth.

"Have fun! Go live while you still can or one day you'll regret it."

"Why do you sound like a grandy?"

"Damned youth, always ruining things for themselves..." Finn replied, faking to be an old person. That made Catra finally laugh.

"Whatever. I'll invite them if you want to."

"You're awesome!"

"Yeah yeah I know."

───────────────────────────  
  


Adora laid on the bed, it was _that day_ of the year. The day where part of her went missing thirteen years prior. She looked at the ceiling, remembering. It was all too nostalgic, too sad. The tears were already threatening to come out when Glimmer and Bow knocked on her door three times.

"Come in." She said weakly. Her roommates carefully sat on the edge of the mattress, a sympathetic smile on their faces.

"Hey, Catra texted asking if we were up to come over. It's Finn's birthday today." Glimmer said, her tone soft. The proposal immediately sparked up something inside of Adora. Did Catra message _Glimmer_ and not her? _Why?_

"Why'd she text _you_?" She asked coldly, still looking at the white ceiling above her.

"She texted on the group chat." _Oh, right_. The one Bow added Catra in when he was drunk a couple of weeks ago. She wasn't against it, but she always ignored all the text messages that were sent there.

"We'd thought it could cheer you up. Would you like to come? If not then we'll stay with you tonight. We won't leave you alone." Bow proposed. Adora hated being treated like that, like a weak and defenseless child. She wanted to prove them she was strong, she had to.

"That's cool. What time?" Glimmer and Bow shared a questioning look, this was unusual for her.

"Wait, really?"

"I already said yes. Just give me a time and I'll be ready." Adora's tone was harsh, but they didn't take it personally. They knew how she got on the anniversary.

"Is 7pm good with you?"

"Sure, okay."

───────────────────────────  
  


Catra didn't like parties, or being around people in general, but she was willing to pull up a few social interactions for Finn, after all it was their birthday. She was watching all the adults chatting and having fun from the kitchen, everyone _except_ Adora.  
When she first came in she had a fake smile plastered on her face, like she didn't want to be there, this made Catra worry since she also refused her last three invitations after they'd slept together. _Could it be that maybe she was tired of her? Or maybe she got too clingy with her and she didn't like it?_ Whatever, it didn't matter. She ignored the blonde until she saw her rushing away, maybe she just had to use the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes had passed and Catra herself had to use it as well. She walked over there and knocked on the door to check if Adora was still in there. No response. She knocked again but got ignored so she just made her way in, finding it empty. _Weird_ , that meant her friend was probably in her bedroom, but why? The brunette ignored her needs and headed in there just to find Adora curled up in a ball on a corner, her eyes filled with tears.  
Catra immediately recognized _all the signs_ and closed the door behind her, not wanting anyone to intrude.

"Adora?" She asked cautiously while approaching her until she got in front of her and knelt down to her level. Adora didn't reply, just hid her head in her arms, ashamed of crying this much in front of her.

"Can I hug you or do you want me to stay a few feet away?" By the way she was crying, Catra knew for sure she wouldn't be able to talk. "Tap your foot once on the ground for the hug and twice if you don't want it." She waited patiently until one tap could be heard.  
She carefully wrapped her arms around her. Adora was stiff for a quick second, but then hesitantly hugged back as she buried her face on the crook of Catra's neck, wetting her shirt with tears.

"I'm here for you, I'm not letting you go." Adora immediately felt relieved by those words, but the panic didn't stop. She felt so weak, terrified, she could barely talk.

"I'm afraid." She finally admitted, and was met with gentle caresses on the back of her head. Catra seemed to know what she was doing.

"It's okay to be scared. You can get through this." They stayed like that for several minutes. Catra kept acknowledging every single progress she made and complimented her; from her body stopping the trembling to her breath coming back to normal, she _always_ praised her.

"Good job Adora. Do you need me to do anything?" Catra asked, pulling slightly away enough to see Adora's eyes: they were now dry, but still red and puffy. The blonde didn't reply, but her sight caught an acoustic guitar leaning against the wall. Catra noticed it and smiled sweetly, wiping the remaining tears off her face.

"Do you want me to play a song? Will that help you?" Adora slowly nodded and her wish got fulfilled, but she had to pay the price for it. She immediately missed the warmth of Catra's body wrapped around hers, but if was all worth it when she heard her rough and soothing voice singing.

"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms" Catra started singing with a smile, trying her best to cheer Adora up.

"But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. So I hung my head and I cried." She continued, this time there was more vulnerability in her voice, it was almost shaking.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you..." Catra struggled to remember all the lyrics, but still tried her best not to ruin it. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Adora.

"Please don't take my sunshine away." Pause. What were the next lyrics? She started panicking internally, not really knowing how to pull it off now.

"Catra?" Adora asked weakly, and the brunette looked up with a sad chuckle.

"I forgot the lyrics. I haven't played this song in years, I'm so sorry." She apologized, but was met with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, that _really_ helped."

"You're welcome." Catra set the guitar aside and sat next to Adora on the floor, keeping her company. "If you don't mind me asking: what caused you to have it? Maybe talking about it can help you." She thought about it for a hot minute and then finally agreed on doing it. _Maybe_ Catra was right, she had to talk about it.

"Can you... can you hold my hand while I do it?" The brunette didn't even hesitate and boldly held it. But she still didn't look at Adora in the eyes, trying to hide her creeping blush from her.

"Today's is my mom's death anniversary."

"Shit— I'm sorry."

"It's cool, well, not really." Catra stayed quiet as she kept looking at the ground while gently rubbing Adora's palm with her thumb, trying to reassure her.

"I was twelve, our building caught fire — I don't even remember why now — and she didn't make it." She took a deep breath. The memories were so blurry but they still hurt so much.

"The last thing I remember is her holding me in her arms because I couldn't even stand... because I was too weak." At that Catra finally found enough courage to look at her in the eyes, her face assumed serious expression.

"Hey, don't blame yourself, 'kay? Not your fault. You were just a child."

"Y-Yeah sorry. My therapist didn't like when I worded it like that, b-but that that... that's how I remember it? It's hard to think about it in any other way." Adora saw how she was already about to contradict her words, so she sped up her speech.

"Point is: I thought I could come here and act like nothing happened, but... I don't know, everything just got too overwhelming. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's good to express your feelings, don't ever apologize for doing that." Catra said teasingly, trying to ease the atmosphere by repeating the words Adora once told her.

"You're a dork."

"And you're a weirdo." The brunette could feel how tense Adora still was, so she went back to hugging her.

"Do you want me to talk about my mother too? Will that help you?"

"Only if you're comfortable about it." Catra could feel Adora's little trembles from time to time, so she knew she had to distract her somehow.

"She was the exact opposite of me: always kind, patient, very loving, super cool... I don't have many memories of her. To be honest I wouldn't even remember her face if I didn't have pictures."

"What... what happened?" Now it was Adora's turn to hold Catra, or so she thought. The other woman squeezed Aodra tighter, almost as if _she_ were landing her strength.

"Car crash. She died, I didn't. I was five."

"I'm—"

"Don't be. Like I said: I barely remember her." There was a moment of silence. Neither of them spoke, just held each other tightly.

"Where is she buried?" Catra asked as she left Adora's side to open her wardrobe.

"What?"

"You're paying a visit to your mother. I don't like you being stuck here in my room. She deserves a tribute." Adora shrugged. She didn't know how to feel about it. She hadn't gone to the cemetery in years as a coping mechanism.

"I don't feel like driving."

"Good. You just earned a ride on my motorcycle." Adora's head snapped to look over at Catra's direction, she was already pulling out a leather jacket.

"Wh-What? Since when do you own a motorcycle?!" She asked, standing up. The brunette rolled her eyes and handed her a helmet.

"I've always had one. I just didn't use it because of my lack of sleep. Driving while being tired is not a good combination. Come on now."

"B-But Finn! And the others. What will they say?"

"We won't stay away all night. We'll be back before midnight. Besides, Finn already cut the cake and opened all the presents, there's nothing to lose." Catra opened the window and climbed out of it to use the fire escape as their way out.

"Come on now, let's go." Adora thought about it and then followed her. Catra was right, this could've made her feel better.

As they were climbing down the stairs she noticed the helmet Catra held under her armpit and awed at it.

"Are those cat ears?"

"Shut up."

───────────────────────────

They were in front of the graveyard. "Mara Grayskull" was written in capital letters on the marble tomb, even after years it was still white, unlike all the others.

"Do you want to be alone? I can just wait outside." Catra proposed. She had never been in a cemetery before, and it was terrifying, especially at 10pm.

"I'd actually like for you to stay here. Emotional support."

"Of course." But Catra still stayed a few feet away to give Adora a bit of privacy.

"Hey mom. Sorry I haven't been here lately." She started off, running her fingertips on the tombstone. Razz probably cleaned it regularly, after all the two of them were good friends. "I'm here now. I don't have a lot to tell you. Glimmer and Bow are doing great. Angella called me earlier, but I couldn't bring myself to pick up." Catra's attention perked up at those words, remembering the lawyer that supported her case to keep Finn's custody years earlier. But she didn't dare to ask, it would've been out of place and it was _none_ of her business anyway.

"You know I miss you, so damn much. Thankfully now I'm doing much better with my anxiety, although, I did have a fallout earlier, but Catra was there to help me." Adora looked back at the brunette, whom was looking at her nails; the obvious blush on her face revealed her true feelings. Adora chuckled at that, she looked stupidly cute when she faked nonchalance.

"Now I'm fine... I honestly have no idea on what else to tell you. It's weird -talking like this- because you never reply, but I do feel better. I think I'm gonna do this more often." It took her all the willpower left in her body to not burst in tears again. It would've been embarrassing at that point. Catra had already beenso patient with her: dealing with her panic attack, consoling her, taking her here, the kindness she showed was far _way too much._

"Catra, can we go home now?" She proposed, glancing back one last time at the tomb. She felt oddly better now.

"Sure, do you have the keys?" Catra asked while putting her helmet back on.

"I was hoping I could sleep over at yours? I-I don't really want to worry Glimmer and Bow too much. I'm not really fine a-and... I don't want them to worry. I can take the couch." Adora closed her eyes, expecting rejection, but was met with a pat on the back.

"Fine, I get it." She replied casually as she handed Adora her own helmet. "Finn and Frosta are going to sleep on the living room and I don't think they'd like a grown adult keeping them company. Also, Finn's bed is too small for you so you'll be sleeping in my room." Catra shook her head to the sides, contemplating something until she continued.

"I think I still have an airbed mattress so that should be fine. Definitely better than the couch, that's for sure." Adora couldn't contain her happiness and hugged her tightly. Catra felt butterflies in her stomach, but kept it to herself.

"Thank you so much, you're the best!" Catra chuckled and shrugged.

"Eh, what are friends for?" _Friends_ , that word echoed on the back of Adora's mind repeatedly. She didn't know why, but it _stung._

"Catra?" She asked once they started walking out of the cemetery. The other woman just hummed in response.

"How'd you know what to do with me before? I mean, I'm pretty sure that if anyone else found me they would've freaked out. You knew _exactly_ how to deal with me." Catra stayed quiet for a minute, gathering the right words to say as they reached her vehicle.

"Finn used to have them when they were little. The first time I was terrified, I felt so useless and stupid for not knowing what to do. Every single thing that I did seemed to upset them even more." Adora sympathized with that. She remembered how scared her foster family was the first time she had a panic attack. It almost seemed as if they were freaking out more than her.

"I never wanted to see them suffer like that ever again, it was too painful to watch. After a lot of tries I knew what to do and how to make it last less time. It wasn't easy, but it totally worth it."

"So I assume Finn is better now?"

"Haven't had one in over two years." She sounded like a mom proud of her child's accomplishments, and she actually was.

"Is that why you didn't remember the lyrics to the song, because you haven't played it for that long?" Catra scoffed, a bit irritated of how Adora could read her that easily. It was too unsettling for her, always used to not share too much about her own feelings.

"Always so perceptive princess." She hissed and finally fastened the helmet to her head, securing it, and then did the same with Adora. The blonde didn't mind the proximity between them, especially after all the love-making they've made already, it was natural. As she waited for Catra do be done, she touched the cat ears and gasped at how adorable they looked on her.

"They're so soft!" Catra growled, but the playful smirk on her face already told Adora everything she needed to know.

"Scorpia thought it was a good idea to attach these latex things with gorilla glue and then paint it orange. So stupid..."

"I think it looks very cute on you." The compliment seemed to take her by surprise, because Adora could see the intense flush through the obscured visor.

"Shut up. Let's go, I promised I'd take you back before midnight."

"They're really cute!" She repeated, knowing it would piss her off.

"I am _not_ cute!"

───────────────────────────

The two women sneaked in through the fire escape and then entered Catra's room. When they were back in, they burst out laughing.

"I feel like a teenager sneaking in after a night partying." Catra admitted with giggles.

"Oh man, I remember Glimmer and Bow forcing me out of the room to do this every weekend and every single time we always got caught." The brunette smiled one last time before opening the door and waiting for Adora so they could step outside.

"What are we gonna tell them?"

"You had a tummy ache and puked all over my bedroom? I'm pretty sure they'll believe it."

"Disgusting."

"Do you wanna go with explosive diarrhea?" Adora cringed at that. Sometimes Catra could be a little too... _raw._

"I think I'll go with the tummy ache." The two of them finally made their way out of the room to be met by a glaring Glimmer.

"Where were you two? You were locked in that room for more than an hour!" Then expression changed into a disgusted one.

"Oh my gosh! Tell me you didn't have se-" Adora hurriedly put her mouth over Glimmer's mouth, checking if anyone heard them.

"Relax Sparkles. Adora over here had a stomach ache and I took care of it. Can't you see how pale she looks?" The short woman calmed down and shot the blonde an apologetic look.

"You okay? We can go if you don't feel well. I mean it." She whispered in her ear whilst giving her a loving hug.

"Actually, I'm thinking about spending the night here" She knew Glimmer would doubt them. Ever since she told her about the kiss she had been suspicious whenever Catra and her were together. "A simple sleepover." She clarified before she could say anything else.

"Are you sure you want to do it tonight? What if you-" Catra rolled her eyes and moved dangerously closer to the short woman's face.

"I'll call you if she needs anything, I mean it. She'll be safe here. There's no alcohol and I definitely don't do drugs. You can even test her tomorrow if you don't believe me."

"I can do this, I promise. I don't think anything bad can happen by now." Glimmer looked hesitant, but agreed anyways.

"If anything happens to her just call me or Bow and we'll be here in no time." Catra wanted to make fun of her for worrying so much, but she definitely understood where she was coming from.

"I will, don't worry about it."

"Hey guys!" Bow greeted as he approached all of them. "Where were you? You missed Sea Hawk setting the kitchen on fire." Catra's blood ran cold in an instant.

  
  
──────────────────────────  
  


"Was that really necessary? I thought it was pretty cool. We even cooked marshmallows with it." Finn protested once Catra kicked everybody out of the apartment. It was getting late anyway.

"Either this or I would've murdered somebody."

"That would've been fine too. It's funny when you're mad." Finn earned _the_ glare, the one that told them to shut up before Catra would lose the last tiny bit of her remaining patience.

"Okay!" They sighed dramatically and turned around to face her. "Are you and Adora going to join us to play board games?"

"Nah, we're old and tired. You kids have fun though. By the way, I know it's your birthday and all, but don't go to sleep too late."

"I won't disappoint you." Catra smiled at them a gave them a hug.

"Good night kid. Happy birthday again." She said before retiring to her room. Adora was already wearing a pair of shorts and her oversized shirt since she didn't bring anything with her.

"Are you sure this is supposed to be oversized? It doesn't look like it." Catra growled and sat on her own bed.

"That's because I'm an extra small while you're probably a medium large."

"It's kinda tight." Adora complained, making the brunette chuckle.

"Deal with it or take it off, I don't care." Adora smirked teasingly at her and sat up from the air mattress to look at her in those beautiful mismatched eyes.

"If I take it off you would just stare at my boobs and could not say a single word to me." Catra put a hand over her heart, faking to be hurt.

"How dare you think so low of me! I am _not_ that horny."

"Do you want me to show you our chats and all the booty calls or...?" Oh, Catra was sure she was blushing like crazy. How Adora could show such dominant behavior and also be a dork at the same was still a mystery for her.

"I went years without sex, you best believe I won't turn down this opportunity." She justified herself, crossing her arms over her chest. But then her expression softened. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked with clear worry in her voice. This seemed to annoy Adora, whom used the blanket as a shield from the exterior. She hated being treated like a baby, unable to take care of herself.

"Yeah, I'm cool. Just a bit tired."

"Me too." One click and the light was turned off. The silence wasn't awkward, it was actually pretty comfortable, but it got interrupted by laughs coming from the living room.

"Seems like Finn and Frosta are pretty close."

"They've been inseparable ever since we've moved here. They're best friends." Catra replied, recalling the conversation they had that morning. "I think they're kinda like Sparkles and Bow." Adora quirked an eyebrow at the confession.

"Really? Why?"

"They are so... I don't know how to explain it, like- They act like a couple but refuse to admit their feelings, it's frustrating." The poor and oblivious Adora snorted, completely unaware of her roommates' love status.

"Glimmer and Bow are not in love."

"Seriously Adora? Have you seen the way they look at each other? They are basically married."

"That's not true!"

"Sorry to break it down but you're third-wheeling them." And then she realized. All the looks, long conversations, prolonged hugs. They were totally in love.

"Oh my gosh, I am the third wheel!"

"Took you long enough to find out. Are you always this oblivious?" Adora sat back up, outraged by such implication.

"No!... Maybe!"

"Let's see... Have you noticed the way Mermista looks at you?" The blonde tilted her head to the side. _What the hell did she mean by that?_

"How does she look at me?" Catra shook her head and sat up as well with a giggle.

"You really are oblivious."

"She literally glares at me every time she sees me."

"She was undressing you with her eyes." Catra let out bitterly. It wasn't that hard to notice. Mermista was clearly attracted to Adora. She wasn't jealous, but it did provoke a feeling of discomfort.

"That's not possible! Isn't she dating Seahawk?"

"That doesn't mean she can't admire other beautiful pieces of art." Now it was Adora's turn to blush. Catra referred to her as a _beautiful piece of art_. She thought she was _beautiful._

"Catra, can I sleep with you? I-I know you probably don't like the idea of it but I'm feeling... not safe."

"Okay, c'mere." Adora happily left the air mattress to join the other woman, quickly snuggling by her side.

"How clingy." Catra pointed out with a smirk that quickly fell when she saw how pensive she looked, as if there was an internal debate going on inside of her.

"What'cha thinking about?"

"This doesn't feel right." She admitted, immediately worrying Catra. _Was she being too affectionate,? Did she show too many emotions? Were they going to call their deal off? Would they still be friends?_ A thousand thoughts crossed Catra's mind like a truck.

"You've been this nice to me. Even after I ignored your last three booty calls."

"You already told me it was because the anniversary was coming up. Besides, you didn't ignore me, just told me no, which is totally fine." Well, it did hurt a little, but it was justified. She understood Adora's motives and that was what mattered at the moment.

"I wanna make it up to you somehow. I feel bad. How about I get you something nice like your favorite food? Or maybe-"

"Adora, stop. I told you it's fine. I don't want you to give me anything." Catra brought her closer to her, running her hands through those beautiful blonde locks.

"You're worth more than what you can give to other people." There was a moment of silence, and then loud sobs could be heard. Catra immediately panicked, but she tried to maintain her calm in case Adora was about to have another panic attack.

"Shit, I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean to make you cry." But she smiled through the tears, which was a good thing... _right?_

"It's cool."

"Bad memories?"

"No. Good ones, actually. Nostalgia hit me." Catra let out a breath of relief. _Good_ , she thought. And then drew circles lazily on Adora's back, gently soothing her. The blonde eventually left a kiss on her neck, a silent way to say _thank you_ without actual words.

"Do you feel better?" Adora hummed and left a trail of kisses down Catra's jawline before their lips touched. It was meant to be simple, but it got both of them worked out. No matter what they did, there was always going to be tension. Catra pulled away as soon as she felt warmth forming between her thighs.

"Maybe another time? I don't really want to do it with Finn around."

"That's fine by me. I'd rather do it without you trying to contain your screams." Adora mumbled lazily as she hid the face on the crook of Catra's neck. She smelled like peaches and strawberries, so sweet and intoxicating.

"I don't scream."

"Don't make me prove you wrong."

Adora fell asleep not long after, but Catra remained awake. Her protective instincts forced her to be vigilant at all hours in case Adora needed anything. She had looked so defenseless before and it was _her_ turn now to make sure she was fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people! What do y'all think will happen next after opening up so much? Will Adora and Catra grow closer or will one of them start to push away? 
> 
> P.S: If you were wondering, Finn is 5'0 (they're still growing so their height will change), Catra 5'2, Glimmer 5'3 (yes, I wanted her to be taller than Catra, SUE ME), Adora 5'8 and Bow 5'11.


	9. Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: NSFW content and PTSD.

Catra was walking around the seafood section as she did grocery shopping. Finn left her side earlier to look for cereal. She was analyzing the different types of fish until someone bumped on her shopping cart.

"Hey, watch-!" She stopped herself when she noticed Adora on the other side with an apologetic smile on her face and _damn_ did Catra want to kiss her in that moment.

"Hi Catra." Adora said, wondering how it was possible for them to to keep meeting at random places. Etheria wasn't that big of a city, but it wasn't exactly small either. Maybe fate kept pushing them together because they were destined to—

"Hello princess. How are you doing?" Catra's tone was extremely flirty and so was her facial expression.

"I-I'm good! What are you doing here?" The brunette rolled her eyes playfully and rested her arms on the handle, clearly amused by the dumb question.

"What could a girl ever do at a grocery store?"

"R-Right! Are you alone?" She asked with a chuckle. "Because I'm here with Bow and Glimmer. Well, they're actually at the cereal isle and I left them alone. They always fight on which brand they should take and-" Too much, she was saying too much. Nobody would care about that. "Yeah, stupid stuff."

"Oh well, I guess they're gonna see Finn and the three of them are going to fight together like a happy family."

"What do you usually eat for breakfast?" Adora asked as she put a random item inside her cart. _God_ , she was so awkward.

"What you see inside there." Catra replied and she looked down. There were only two items in the cart. Peanut butter and bacon, seriously?!

"You disgust me." The other woman laughed and started moving to another section of the isle, so of course Adora followed her.

"Part of my charm."

"How can you possibly eat that?"

"Meh, sometimes I eat oreos dipped in orange juice." Adora wanted to puke at that point. _Beautiful_ woman, _terrible_ taste.

"Okay, I've decided that it's best for us if we end being friends with benefits. I can't be friends -nor have sex- with someone who eats such things."

"Oh don't be this over dramatic now. It's good, you should try it sometime."

"Pft. Over my dead body." Adora elbowed Catra's stomach playfully and was rewarded with a punch on the shoulder. It didn't hurt _that_ much.

"Catra, hey!" Adora's blood froze at that voice. She only had heard it once, but it was enough for her to remember: Lonnie. _Of course_ she had to work there, right when her and Catra were just catching up and _of course_ Catra had to turn around.

"Hi Lonnie." She replied. It wasn't that hard to see the faint blush on her cheeks and this broke Adora's heart. Maybe Catra still liked her and now she could potentially even start dating Lonnie if everything went smoothly.  
Her jealousy acted up and she wrapped both arms around Catra's waist, a futile attempt to assert dominance, almost as if they were cavemen. The protective touch almost made Catra jump if it weren't for Adora's hands keeping her in place. She could feel her hot breath against her neck, it was short and ragged, like whenever she tried to maintain herself calm and collected.

"And you must be Adora right? Thank you for inviting me. I had lots of fun, although I can't remember half of the night." Adora forced herself to smile back at Lonnie. She sure looked like an easy-going person, but her jealousy prevented Adora from genuinely liking her.

"I hope I didn't cause much trouble."

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything crazy, but you really liked to talk that's for sure." The short woman chuckled and then got closer to Catra to whisper something in her ear. Adora visibly got uncomfortable and rested her chin on top of Catra's head while her grip on the hips tightened.

"I don't think I'd like that. Thank you for the offer tho. Tell Kyle I said hi." Without another word, Lonnie stepped away to go back to work and Adora scoffed.

"What's up with you?" Catra asked, there was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"What's up with me?"

"Yeah. Look at how you're holding me. We're in _public_ Adora." Reality finally hit her. Catra and her were friends with benefits, not girlfriends. They had to restrain their touches and kisses to the bedroom and not the public. Adora was jealous because she really liked Catra and wanted to have a serious relationship with her.

"Adora."

"Right, sorry. I uhm..." She took a few steps back, immediately missing the heat of Catra's body. When she looked in her face all she could see was confusion and a bit of fluster.

"What'd she tell you?"

"Just asked me to join her open relationship with two other guys." The audacity. _How dare she?_ Adora didn't even think it twice before leading them in the most isolated area of the store.

"Adora, are you feeling okay? You've been acting a little off." The blonde looked around to see if there was anybody near them. _Clear_. She turned around and put her hand on Catra's waist, pulling them closer together.

"Can we kiss, please?" Adora begging was something beyond rare, but she was dying to make Catra forget about everyone else _but_ her. Catra stayed silent for a few seconds, it was always like this. It took her some time to get used to the proximity. As she waited for an answer, Adora pressed her against the wall behind them, sneaking her hands under her shirt to finally touch that smooth skin of hers.

"Okay, but let's not waste too much time." Adora listened to her words and _totally ignored_ them.  
She kissed her roughly, squeezing her sides and rubbing her thumbs against the fabric of her damned bra. Catra's response was rather delightful for her ears with those little whimpers and moans that she was forced to silence by deepening even more the kiss. Eventually Adora decided to go one step further by sliding one leg between Catra's so she could finally press herself against her to drive her to insanity.  
Catra's mind was foggy and couldn't process things the right way. Adora was so confident and dominant in that moment and-

"Adora Grayskull and Catra Guerrero are called on cashier #3. I repeat: Adora Grayskull and Catra Guerrero are called on cashier #3." Adora pulled away in total outrage and disappointment. Seeing her that flustered definitely did a number on Catra, but they couldn't just fuck in public.

"Do you think that—" She started, referring to her sibling fighting with their teachers.

"Oh I'm sure of it."

───────────────────────────

"Hey Cat, hey Adora!" Finn said excitedly once the two women found the three of them hanging out together with an annoyed Lonnie. Adora shot all of them a hard glare whilst Catra approached the employee to talk about what had just happened between them.

"You do know that you're legal adults right? Why did you ask for my presence? I'm not your guardian." The blonde asked with clear bitterness in her voice. She was still extremely flustered from her encounter with Catra and she wished to be kissing those soft lips of hers as soon as possible. And the fact that is was Lonnie out of all people who was talking to Catra made her blood boil.

"I mean, it's fun to see you pissed off." Adora ignored Glimmer's teasing attitude, she was not in it for a joke right now. She tried her best not to look over Catra's direction but it was too hard. Those two were talking and the argument seemed to be pretty passionate.

"What happened, exactly?" She asked, still not looking away from them.

"Okay so: I wanted to buy Cinnamon Toast Crunch but Glimmer wanted Cheerios—" Bow started, but got interrupted by his best friend.

"Why not take the both of them?" She got ignored, like she always did when she was right about something.

"So we started arguing. Then Finn came in and said that Froot Loops were the best brand." Glimmer continued.

"I can't believe it."

"And I ended accidentally pushing Bow against the shelf." The man gasped audibly and yelled at her with one of his usual voice racks.

"Accidentally?! You wanted to kill me!"

"...And everything just fell apart. It was awesome! There was cereal everywhere!" Finn finished, finally catching Adora's attention.

"What did you do exactly?"

"Oh, I ate the cereal."

"You ate cereal that was on the ground?!" Adora panicked. That kid must've had some killer immune system if they were still fine.

"No!" Moment of silence. "Maybe! Well, not really. It was cereal that was on top of the cereal that was on the ground. So that's technically a no."

"Okay, we're all good to go!" Catra announced to the group. She looked tired, like she always did after having any interaction with Lonnie. All five of them started walking together to an unkown spot. Bow and Finn next to each other while Catra was between Adora and Glimmer.

"Really? How'd you do that?"

"Sparkles, I am a broker. My job consists on dealing with people on the daily."

"You can't even hold a proper conversation with me unless I'm drunk." Catra cleared her throat. Glimmer was definitely right, but that was only because she was annoying and prissy.

"Besides, she's an old friend." She admitted, referring to Lonnie. Adora tried her best not to glare back at the employee and she miraculously didn't. Finn seemed to notice this and decided to give a gentle nudge to them.

"So are you finally going to ask Lonnie out on a date?" Everyone gasped audibly and Catra's ears and face became immediately red. What were they doing?

"N- No! I don't like her like that!"

"Catra has a crush!" Glimmer wrapped an arm around Catra's shoulder proudly. "I can help you with her if you want. We all know how awkward you can be. What does she like? Is she a romantic type or is a buzzkill like you?" Catra groaned as Bow giggled repeteadly. Adora found it too hard to maintain her jealousy under control. Now fer feelings for Catra were as clear as ever. She couldn't just stand here and bear with all that.

"She already told you no. What's so hard to understand about it?" She asked with bitterness in her voice and everyone shared concerned looks, everyone but Finn. Their smile was still on full display.

"Lonnie and I liked each other, but that was years ago. I'm way past that crush and Finn knows this. I don't know why they brought it up again." Catra glared at the teenager, whom just shrugged, and was careful enough to secretly hold Adora's left hand and squeeze it to reassure her. It seemed to work because the blonde released a breath of relief. Could it be that Catra knew how she was feeling?

"Why are your shopping carts full of pre-cooked foods?" Bow asked with clear annoyance. He was the only one among them who knew how to made a homemade meal, and he was getting tired of it.

"I don't have time to cook."

"I don't know how to cook." Catra and Adora said at the same time, making the man scoff.

"You need to eat healthier things and you need to stop feeding Finn that trash. Do you know how dangerous it can be for your health?" Adora, being the healthcare worker she is, was about to reply, but didn't have the chance to since Bow continued his rambling.

"That's it! I am teaching you how to cook." Catra laughed and elbowed Adora.

"Looks like someone is going to learn how to cook."

"And you're joining her too!" Finn ordered their sister, tired of eating burnt omelettes in the mornings.

"Nah, I think Sparkles will be just the perfect candidate to keep her company."

"Glimmer is not participating in it." The teacher sighed. _Thank god_ , she thought.  
"At least she helps me cook, unlike someone else."

"Why do I need to cook if you're already doing it for me?!"

"I have the final word. You two," Bow pointed at the couple.

"Will learn how to cook. One way or another."

"Sorry Arrow Boy, I don't have the time." He stepped in front on her, scaring the smug smile on her face away.

"Oh, we'll find a time. Don't worry."  
  


───────────────────────────

"I can't believe I'm here." Catra said as she held a spatula and wore a pink apron. Adora in the meanwhile took out eggs and flour, still not knowing what they were gonna make. Bow and Glimmer left them alone in their apartment to babysit Finn so they had the whole place to themselves. However, they only had an hour and a half to make something decent so there was no time for fooling around.

"Are you in the mood for a quickie?" Adora asked casually. Catra's instant reaction was to spit the water she had been drinking. They had _just_ agreed on not having sex.

"Wh-What?" She asked for confirmation, maybe she heard it wrong.

"A quickie." Adora repeated, shocking Catra even more. At this point she was sure she was just as red as a tomato, but then she continued talking. "You know, those fancy egg tarts things." _Sigh_ , that was close, but it was definitely enough to get her worked up. Catra couldn't stop thinking about Adora's behavior earlier. It was so protective, so dominant. Maybe she was a bottom after all.

"That's pronounced quiche, dummy." She corrected shyly, not really wanting to engage on the conversation anymore.

"Yeah whatever. Let me google a recipe." Catra scoffed and looked down at her apron. _Kiss the cook, seriously?_

"Why did Bow leave us alone to do this? Wasn't the point to teach us how to cook?" Adora chuckled at her grumpyness and looked at her.

"He wants to test our level for the next lesson."

"Next lesson? Hell no. I don't have time for this. It's already enough I get out of the house to go grocery shopping." She complained as she started taking out the ingredients to measure.

"Yes, we all know how busy you are with your new job." Adora teased as she left a quick kiss on Catra's neck before reaching for the milk. The brunette about lost it in a matter of a single second, her mind wandering to their heated kisses shared hours before. "How's it going, by the way?"

"Tired. At the beginning everything was pretty chill. Now I keep engaging more clients, too many, therefore, I spend more time socializing."

"Well, having human interactions from time to time is a good thing. You can make new friends, meet new people..." Adora stopped herself, but her mouth decided to keep going after staying quiet for a few second. "Like Lonnie, what's up with you two? Scorpia told me you had a thing for each other." She tried sounding cool, but there was an obvious hint of bitterness in her tone. At least she could take all that energy out by whisking the eggs.  
Catra spilled a bit of milk and cursed herself after hearing the question. She'd have a serious talk with Scorpia later.

"We... Ugh." Seeing how comfortable she looked, Adora decided to back down.

"Hey, you don't owe me an explanation." But Catra already had built up her walls again.

"Damn right I don't."

"Okay, okay." Adora lowered her head, feeling intimated by Catra. Maybe she pushed a sensitive nerve. They stayed quiet, working on the recipe. The silence was unbereable for her, and so was the tension. The two of them focused on their work until Adora struggled to turn on the oven.

"That's not how you do it." Catra scolded as she pushed her away.

"Oh, like you know how to-" Beep. It was set at the right temperature and ready to go.

"I worked with Razz for years. She taught me a few things about bakery and cooking." Catra stated with one of her usual smug smiles. She knew she was being a smartass and Adora didn't mind, at least she was talking to her now. There was still a bit of coldness in her behavior, but at least it was something.

"And yet you keep burning eggs for breakfast." She received a hard glare that was quickly reciprocated. "Yeah, Finn told me all about your culinary failures while they were staying with us. How can you burn chips? You're not even supposed to cook them."

"I don't know. Seahawk told me to try." Catra replied as she set the quiche inside the oven. It didn't look good, but it wasn't excatly ugly either.

"And you trusted him? Didn't you tell me he set Razz's kitchen on fire? _Multiple_ times?"

"That's besides the point." She closed it and hoped that things turned out good for once. Silence feel among them once again.  
They still had an hour to spare, and they knew exactly how to use it. The tension they had would've bursted with sex, or that's what they thought. When they were lying down on Adora's bed, Catra was still being cold towards Adora, even during the act. Catra still had the shirt on and she also dominated during the act, that's how she coped with feeling insecure: Catra had to have anything under her control, that's how things had always been for her.

"Catra?" Adora asked, still breathless. Catra turned to the side to finally face her and realized she couldn't keep up the act of being rude to her, she didn't do anything wrong.

"I've always hated Lonnie. I wouldn't call it a crush, but I was attracted to her and she did have a crush on me. She's pretty cool, but damn we keep fighting like cats and dogs." Adora chuckled, encouraging Catra to continue. "She wanted to try to have -I don't know- a relationship, no strings attached sort of thing with me. She was willing to take anything I'd give her but I refused to." The blonde woman sypathized with Lonnie. She took any sort of attention Catra gave her as well, the only difference was that she actually obtained it.

"Why?"

"It wasn't fair to her. I couldn't have something like 'no strings attached' with someone who really liked me. I don't like hurting people like that." If only Catra had known how much Adora desired to hold her hand in public, kiss her, hug her, yell to the entire world she was hers, maybe things would've been different.

"And there's absolutely no chance that you refused to because you were afraid to get hurt yourself?"

"Pft. Dude, no. I'm not afraid of anything." Adora looked unconviced, and Catra knew it, so she quickly went back to the original subject.

"Anyway, that's why there's still tension between us. But I don't want to have anything with her anymore." Catra kept quiet for a moment and then spoke up again. "Just you." She admitted in a whisper. Adora's heart warmed up and she almost felt like crying, almost. She shifted closer to hug her and left a kiss on top of her head.

"You know you can let your walls down with me, right?" At that point she could get two reactions from Catra: either she was going to push her away or she'd finally accept her affection. But she didn't count a third response.

"Burnt."

"What?" Catra immediately got up from the bed and sprinted to the kitchen.

"We burned the quiche!"

Bow, Glimmer and Finn found them trying to savage the tart, but it was already too late.

───────────────────────────

Catra was doing the last bit of her work when she felt a knock on the door. _Who could it be,_ she thought, it was already late at night.

"Wildcat, it's us!" Scorpia's voice said, and she knew that Perfuma was definitely with her. She stood up from the chair she was sitting on and finally opened the door. As soon as Scorpia could see Catra she hugged her tightly while they made their way in.

"I'm so happy for you!" She whisper-yelled, knowing that Finn was probably asleep by that time.

"Care to elaborate?" Catra asked Perfuma, finally able to breathe.

"We didn't know you were dating Adora. We are so proud of you. You finally got over your fear of rejection!" Catra froze. Where did they get that idea from? They had never seen her and Adora _together_.

"We— We aren't dating! We're just friends." The two guests then shared a worried look, but when Scorpia looked back at her, she had a smirk on her face.

"Friends who kiss each other in the middle of a grocery store?" Catra couldn't connect the dots yet and they noticed it. Perfuma took out her phone and showed her the video that the security camera recorded. Catra felt like dying in that moment, her closest friends watched her being vulnerable and submissive to Adora.

"Where'd you get this?!"

"Catra, I work there." Right, that made total sense.

"Well, I- I... fuck." Perfuma smiled sweetly, like she always did, and squeezed Catra's shoulders in reassurance.

"How long have you been dating Adora?"

"We are not dating. We're just... fooling around."

"Catra..." She shoved Perfuma's hands away and turned her back to them.

"It's not serious. Adora doesn't want me." _Not like I want her_ , she thought, but quickly shoved it away at the back of her mind. No way she'd ever have anything serious with Adora.

"I don't like her like that. We're just using each other to get the edge off."

"Really? To me it seemed like you two have something more." Catra lost it. She didn't want to, but it was inevitable. She hated that side of herself, but couldn't fully control it yet. Sometimes it got out without her even realizing it.

"I said no! I don't need a relationship to be happy. I am doing just fine on my own! Why don't you take your girlfriend and just get out of here? It's late and I wanna be left alone."

"Catra—"

"Now!" When they didn't move, she took matters on her own hands and pushed them out of the door and then slammed it on their faces. For the time being she didn't care about pushing them away. She just felt anger and sadness. Sadness at possibly realizing that maybe she liked Adora more than for her body. She liked Adora for how she was: perfect. Catra knew it all along but thought she wouldn't get attached to her. Now there she was, fantasizing about having a future with her, like Adora would actually give a crap about her.

* * *

They were kissing in her room after Catra had called her. It didn't matter how she felt, she just needed release. Once again, she was on top of Adora, leaving quick pecks on her sharp collarbone. Unlike Adora, Catra didn't like to take her time, so she wasted no time in starting the action. Her left hand quickly unzipped Adora's jeans and immediately pushed her underwear aside to slip one finger in. Adora moaned her name out loud and kissed her eagerly in an attempt to hide all the sounds coming out of her mouth, however, Catra still thought about how Adora didn't want her like that and pulled away from Adora's lips to go back to the neck. At the moment kissing her lips felt too intimate for her.

Adora obviously noticed her cold behavior, but before she could say anything Catra slipped a second finger inside of her. She had been distant for the last week, replying to her in short texts and when she cane inside the apartment she didn't even hug her like she always did. There was something odd going on, and she wanted to help, but it was impossible to do if she kept being fucked like that. Catra showed no mercy, just kept going without checking in, without stopping, quickly driving her to insanity.

Adora was on the verge of coming when she wrapped her arms tightly behind Catra's back, squeezing her close to her to feel the warmth of her body. Her nails quickly dug into the fabric of her shirt and touched the most sensitive spot on her back.

* * *

"Cereal cereal!" Catra yelled as she pulled away in panic. Adora let go without hesitation and noticed her scared face. _What happened?_ She reached to grab Catra's hands but she refused to be touched and stood up from the bed, her back facing Adora.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

"This was a mistake." Catra kept whispering. Something was _really_ wrong with her.

"What... What do you mean? Did I do something to—"

"I don't want to do this anymore! This whole thing is wrong." Silence fell upon them. Adora didn't know how to react. She felt her heart getting broken.

"Can I at least know why?"

"Adora, just leave." _Like everybody else_ , Catra thought. The blonde, still in total shock and disbelief, left the apartment without saying a word.

When she came back home she was in tears, not fully knowing what had just happened between them. Bow and Glimmer noticed immediately her mood and worried for her.

"Adora...?"

"I think I fucked up." She whispered. Glimmer gently led her to the couch and gave her a warm blanket.

"Wanna tell us what happened?"

"We can help you." Bow added. Adora looked at the wooden floor and sighed. Nobody was supposed to know about what her and Catra did, but it was unbearable at that point. She was angry, confused, worried, all at once.  
She finally admitted their ongoing affair, how it started and how it had just ended.

"I have no idea what happened. One minute she was kissing me and the other one she was telling me to get out of there." She sniffled. Adora expected them to be hurt for not sharing her secret earlier, but received a hug from both of them.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine. Maybe you two should just talk about it."

"You had to see her Bow. She looked terrified of me. It's like I did something to make her..." And then she realized. She pressed hard on Catra's back, the only spot she wasn't allowed to touch.

"I think I fucked up."

───────────────────────────

Catra was in the bathroom, the scissors in her hand had already cut most of the hair. It looked hideous, but it made her feel relieved. After Adora had left flashbacks of her childhood came to mind. The way Harold -or Horde- Prime always complimented her hair in a sinister way was the most vivid memory in that moment and the only solution the could think of at the moment was to cut it all off. The unwanted touch made her head spin in a circle of madness.

_Hello little sister._

_You worthless creature!_

_I have to say, your hair is absolutely stunning._

_Get out of here!_

Finn found her crying silently in the bathtub and called Scorpia and Perfuma right away. They always seemed to know how to handle Catra when she was in that state of mind.  
After an hour of her resisting to get out of bathroom, screams and a calming tea, Scorpia grabbed the scissors to try and repair the mess Catra had made. Perfuma knelt in front of the brunette and gently held her hands. Catra didn't dare to look at her in the eyes, or to talk for what mattered. She was still a trembling mess, but at least she was a bit calmer than when they had found her.

"Don't worry Wildcat, I've always cut my moms' hair since I was a child. I know exactly what would fit you. You're gonna look amazing." Scorpia reassured.  
Finn was looking at the scene from the hallways, Catra didn't like to be surrounded by lots of people when she got like that. It hurt their heart to not be there for her when she needed it the most. They carefully headed to their room, leaving the adults alone.

"Catra, would you like to elaborate on what happened?" Perfuma asked, and got no response. Everyone stayed quiet until Scorpia raised Catra's head to make her look at the mirror. Her brown curls were cut in a perfect Pageboy pixie cut. It looked truly stunning, but Catra didn't care, she was just glad to be finally free of the terrible memories of her childhood.

"Thanks." She muttered weakly.

"Hey, how about we spend the night at your place? We can all hang out together, like old times."

"That's a great idea Scorpia. Tomorrow you'll take the day off and we'll drop Finn to school, we'll pick them up too. You need to rest." 

"I'm sorry... for the other night." Catra admitted. She's sure she had never looked so little in someone else's eyes before. She hadn't had a dissociative episode in years. She thought it was getting better and was so wrong about it.

"It's okay. You're fine, we're fine. That's what matters right now. We'll talk when you're ready. Right know you're still too upset. You can't even look at me in the eyes." Catra nodded, thanking them silently. She hated herself for lashing out at people and then crawling back to them. She hated herself for not being strong enough.

"Finn." She called out quietly, but with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I'll go get them." Perfuma assured. After a minute or so Catra could feel two slender arms wrapped around her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's cool. I've got you, Cat. It's my time to look out for you now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seriously considering the idea of making Catradora's breakup permanent I mean not all stories end up with a happy ending... right? ;)


End file.
